


Quote

by BundyShoes



Series: Quote series [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-24
Updated: 2012-10-31
Packaged: 2017-11-14 23:21:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 42,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/520573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BundyShoes/pseuds/BundyShoes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Continuing after 'Skin Deep', this follows Emma as she tries to figure out who Mr. Gold really is, and what sort of secrets Storybrooke is really hiding. Gold/Emma, mentions Rumple/Belle, Prince/Snow, Jefferson/Belle, August/Red, Henry/Grace, etc</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter One:

After leaving Henry with the Mayor, Emma walked back into the office, curious as to what Regina didn't want her hearing.

"So what did she want?" she asked, slowly going towards the bars. Gold looked up, and Emma caught sight of the chipped cup.

"A cup? Seriously?" she glanced at his face, a funny expression on her own. "Don't tell me that's what you were missing? All for that?" Gold wasn't laughing, nor did he respond verbally. His frown just deepened. Emma frowned as well, a thought settling into her mind.

"Wait…was Madame Mayor behind this? Did she put French up to it?" Emma started to turn around, ready to march out the door and bring Mayor Mills back in for questioning, when Gold finally spoke: "You won't be able to pin it on her, Miss Swan, don't bother." Emma looked back at the older man. He glanced up, a dim sparkle in his eye, "So, did you bring me back that cone?"

Emma jolted, completely forgetting about the ice cream. He smirked knowingly. She bit her lip, "Sorry."

He shrugged, "It's not the worse act someone's done against me, Sheriff." He leaned back in his cell, propping his bad leg in front of him and resting the tiny china piece in his lap. His fingers slowly caressed the rim, running over the small chip almost sadly.

Emma took off her coat, and then without thinking, slowly walked closer to the jail in the corner. When she was about a foot away he looked up, and she almost froze at his eyes. For a moment, they didn't look normal, they looked larger, more dilated and… _different_. She braved a few more steps and found herself almost touching the bars.

His smirk widened, his 'normal eyes' already returned within a blink.

"You look troubled by something, Sheriff. What's in that pretty blonde head of yours? Hm?" The smirk turned into a grin, his eyes narrowing in amusement. Emma pursed her lips. She didn't know how he'd react to her next line of questioning. He's already proven to be very unpredictable, she didn't want him flying off the handle at her, but she really needed the answers.

For what reason she did not know.

'Probably just curiosity,' she tried reasoning. She took a breath. "You…" she paused. He cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes?"

"You mentioned…a girl." The amusement vanished as quickly as the eyes had , "Will you tell me about her? Maybe I can help." She tensed, waiting for his response.

He chuckled, however no mirth traced his features. "Again, Miss Swan, don't trouble yourself. No one can help, not even you with your… _hero complex_."He sighed out the last two words, seeming to wilt under some sort of burden. Her left hand reached to grip the bars. "But why not? Why won't you talk about it?"

" _Because it doesn't need to be spoken about!_ " his outburst made her jerk, catching her off balance. "It's already happened. It's a dead subject. There's no point in bringing it up now."

She gripped the bars with both hands tightly, "It was alive enough for you to beat a man half to death for."

He glanced up, his eyes sharp and cold. She repressed her flinch, her anger steadily rising at his stubbornness. She leaned in farther into the prison, "Just tell me, Gold. What if I _can_ help?" she almost hated the pleading note in her voice.

He resumed his study of the teacup. He never even moved to speak and after long moments of bated breath and nothing from his side, she finally dropped her hands.

"Fine. If you don't want my help, that's _fine_ ," she almost turned to leave, but before she did she made sure to leave him with a parting word: "But even _you_ can't do everything alone."

She resumed her walk back to her office, taking measures not to look at or anywhere near him.

That didn't mean that she couldn't feel his eyes on her for the rest of the day.

* * *

 

Somehow, and she didn't know how, but Gold managed to post bail.

She didn't want to admit it, but she missed another presence in the office. The place felt emptier, lonelier. She sighed and shuffled the papers on her desk.

She was still curious, _very_ curious, about the man. He was so mysterious and, as she mentioned earlier, unpredictable. When she first met him he had seemed okay, but she was soon informed of his 'true nature'. Or at least how everyone else saw him. And then the whole debacle with Ashley…

But…then there'd be those tiny moments of humanity, a brief word or a flash of emotion in his eyes that turned her opinion on its head, confusing her all the more.

He was a dangerous man, though, and she couldn't trust him.

'But he isn't as bad as Regina,' a voice whispered. And she had to agree, pausing her writing to think over it. A glazed look overcame and she started to drift.

A horn honking outside brought her out of it.

"This is stupid!" she exclaimed, slamming the papers down angrily. She put her head in her hands, trying to get a hold of her emotions. Everything seemed to be getting more intense quicker than she could handle and it was starting to take its toll.

She missed Henry.

' _You spent 10 years without him, voluntarily giving him away, and_ now _you can't live without him?_ ' her conscience berated her.

'I didn't know him then.'

She sighed, slumping down farther, letting her head rest on the desk with a _thud_.

'Who knew a place called 'Storybrooke' could be so chaotic?'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just testing out this idea. I came up with it kind of after Skin Deep which was an entire other rant that I don't wish to type up right now. To put it short, I'm still a Golden Swan fan. I refuse to 'ship' Rumpbelle because it just doesn't seem like true love. At all. But this is going to include Belle, it goes with that storyline and this will be a Gold/Emma fic if I ever do get around to finishing it. 
> 
> Honestly I don't have a plan for this fic, I'm kind of winging it, but any comments (minus flames) are appreciated. :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing after 'Skin Deep', this follows Emma as she tries to figure out who Mr. Gold really is, and what sort of secrets Storybrooke is really hiding. Gold/Emma, mentions Rumple/Belle, Prince/Snow, Jefferson/Belle, August/Red, Henry/Grace, etc

Chapter 2:

She had tried letting it go.

She really had, but the curiosity ended up getting to her and she had made a few calls. And now she was on her way to have a chat with Moe French.

The nurses had told her his throat was still healing, but he could still whisper. They were going to allow her in for just a few minutes, only as long as he feels okay.

She gripped the steering wheel and sighed. She had to admit she hated going around Gold's back, but he hadn't given her much choice. 'If only he'd given me the answers…'

She just needed to know.

Emma pulled in front of the hospital, feeling paranoid despite herself. One never knew who was watching in Storybrooke. She headed towards the entrance and reception as quickly as she could without looking out of the ordinary. A few quick words with the receptionist and she was walking down the hallway to French's room.

He was covered in bruises and gauze. Despite the fact that nothing too important had been harmed, Gold had really done a number on the man. He glanced up at her when she walked in, and she jumped when the nurse closed the door behind her.

They were alone.

Emma quickly got down to business. "Hello, Mr. French, I'm Sheriff Swan. I just need to ask you a few questions…is that okay?"

The man nodded his head slowly and she took that as her cue to sit in the chair next to his bed. She got out her notepad. "So, um, I was the first one on the scene, and, um…" she hated how awkward everything was coming out, but she couldn't seem to get the words out right. It was times like these that she wishes she really _was_ a bonafide cop. "What did Mr. Gold mean- _Who_ did he mean when he said…" she trailed off, inhaling though her teeth. This wasn't going well.

He seemed to understand what she meant though. Sadness and guilt flooded the man's eyes and Emma mentally kicked herself. She was _this_ close to scrapping the whole endeavor.

"… _my_ … _daughter_." Emma started, surprised at how weak and raspy his voice really was. She leaned in further, however, in anticipation. "What was her name?" she asked softly.

He stared at her unblinkingly, his eyes getting misty, " _Be_ -" Emma leaned a bit closer, "… _Beth_. Her name…her _full_ one…was Elizabeth French."

Emma sat, transfixed, not knowing what to do next. There were a million things, a million ways that this could go. Questions flew through her head faster than she could voice them. One stuck out, however: _What was Mr. Gold's involvement with this girl?_

"What…what happened to her?" she listened with bated breath.

Tears filled French's eyes, "I…I lost her…she's…gone…and it's my…my _fault_ ," he choked out.

Emma unconsciously laid her hand on his, Gold's words from the other night running through her mind, "But where is she now? Is-," she took a breath, swallowing, "Is she-has she passed? Did she run away?" she bit her lips, afraid that she went too far.

He jerked his eyes to her, and she was surprised at the look of absolute _fear_ in them. He started shaking his head frantically and she began to panic, "Hey, hey, it's okay," she soothed her thumb over his hand, "It's alright, everything's fine. You're okay." He started to calm down, his bandages heaving with every breath he took.

She looked at him with pleading eyes, " _Please_ …I need to know. I want to help."

He continued to stare at her for a suspended time, and she held her breath, praying he would answer.

Something seemed to resolve itself in his eyes and even while lying in his bed she could see his shoulders square up and his chin lift.

"Ask the Mayor," her eyes widened in shock, he nodded to her assuredly, "And while you're there…tell her Moe French isn't under her thumb anymore. I'm done."

Emma was surprised at the strength in his voice. What was once so raspy now sounded so sure of itself.

She nodded and unsteadily rose to her feet. But before she could get far, he gripped her hand. She turned back and saw the sad eyes again. He made sure he had her attention, " _Thank you_."

Again she didn't know what to do and just nodded. He let her go and she walked back to her car in a daze.

* * *

Before she even considered going to confront the Mayor she used her abilities as Sheriff to try to find Beth's file. It was harder than she thought. Despite the small size of the town, there were quite a lot of files and almost _nothing_ on French or his daughter except for a birth certificate and a few other standard documents.

Nothing about where she was or what had happened to her.

Emma sighed in frustration, shoving the cabinet back in. She _really_ didn't want to go to Regina for information. She'd rather only deal with that woman at the bare minimum, in the least amount of time she could.

She looked down at the tiny stack of papers that were her findings. They were all she had to go on, and it wasn't much. If she were completely honest it seemed like someone was trying to hide something. Her bounty hunter instincts were tingling at the lack of legal documents: even for two people there should be more here.

She blew a blonde strand out of her eyes. Dammit. She was going to have to talk to the Mayor.

* * *

She was lucky she didn't get the door slammed in her face. Regina wasn't exactly a happy camper to see her face when she opened the door, but when Emma brandished her badge saying it was 'Sheriff business' the Mayor grudgingly let her in.

And now she sat in the Mayor's office, tapping her fingers nervously. Regina had to take care of some things before she could 'properly receive' the Sheriff to talk about legal work stuff.

Emma swept her eyes over the desk in front of her. Not many papers littered the surface, and Emma was sure that it was thanks to the effort of Regina. When she had led Emma into the room, she had walked in first quickly, most likely hiding something from Emma's searching eyes.

Emma looked over her shoulder to the door. It was shut at the moment, and she could hear Regina's heels clicking through the ceiling.

Maybe she should…?

No.

She learned her lesson from the last time.

Anyhow, Regina's footfalls were swiftly making their way down the stairs now, cutting off any chance she would have at snooping.

The door opened. "So, Sheriff Swan," the Mayor walked by her and smoothly sat down behind her desk, got settled and folded her hands on the surface, "What can I do for you?"

Emma sat up straighter. She knew it would be harder dealing with Regina than Gold, the former being much more hotheaded. Not to mention the fact that she didn't exactly _like_ Emma in the first place. At all. She'd have to tread carefully.

"Well, I'm here to inquire the whereabouts of some files." Madame Mayor's eyebrow shot up. Emma continued, "I assumed that as Mayor you might know the location of them."

The Mayor studied her for a second, a sly smirk spreading, "And pray tell, what are these files?"

Emma's jaw clenched, "Anything and everything on Beth French."

She watched as the Mayor's smirk slid off her face, her expression hardening and her eyes flicker. Emma narrowed her own, she hit a nerve and she knew it. The Mayor was definitely involved.

However Regina wasn't the Mayor for no reason, and she quickly reassembled her facial features to one of nonchalance and control. "What do you need with those? That case has been solved and buried for a long time, Miss Swan, why would you want to rehash old cases?"

"Because there was a recent crime that happened _because_ of that old case. I need every document I can get to understand exactly what had happened so I can do my job."Emma observed how Mayor Mills kept tensing up with every word she said.

"And the _crime_ , to which you are referring to, is the one that involved Mr. Gold, correct?"

Emma nodded. "Mr. Gold hasn't given me any useful information, and Mr. French," she didn't miss the Mayor's flinch," told me to go talk to you."

Mayor Mills cocked an eyebrow, "Oh? He did, did he?"

Emma nodded, "He also gave me a message for you." At Regina's surprised look she continued, a smirk lightly spreading, "He's not under your control anymore. He's done."

Regina's jaw clenched, anger clouded her eyes. Emma feared for a moment that French would be in trouble, but then realized he had made his own decision to send the message. It was his choice so she let it go. Regina pulled herself together.

"Well…" she smiled unkindly, "I guess that-" she was cut off by the sound of the doorbell. Emma was amazed at how quickly her expression changed again. She looked a bit frightened, something that was rare for the Mayor, but the irritation that lined her features was recognizable.

"Excuse me for a second, Ms. Swan," she grit out as she stood up and walked to the door. It slammed behind her.

Emma could hear her footsteps recede into the foyer and then back up the stairs. And then silence.

Nothing happened.

She glanced back up at the desk. Now was her chance…

She darted a look at the door before sliding out of her chair and sneaking around the desk. She checked the drawers and was relieved to find the main one unlocked. She opened the drawer and started sifting through it as quickly as possible.

There were many different sheets on different matters in the town. Nothing that meant anything to her now. She kept moving, keeping an ear open for any sounds of Regina descending the stairway. So far nothing.

Then instead of paper, she came across something metal. A key. "Let's see what the Mayor is hiding…,"Emma bent down and looked for what it could open. She tried it in the tiny drawer in the top, and it clicked open.

She listened again.

Nothing.

She opened it all the way and started digging. At the very top was a ring of skeleton keys and Emma pushed those aside as quietly as she could. Then she came across a legal document, nothing that was really out of the ordinary.

Except for the fact that it had Mr. French's signature on it.

She scanned the document, not really understanding the details it described, but recognizing the hospital seal. And the words: 'psychiatric' and 'patient' and 'discreet'.

And she was almost positive it wasn't talking about Mr. French himself.

Emma looked through the rest of the drawer, making sure she didn't miss anything and then put everything back the way she found it, locking the drawer and putting the key back in the other one. Then she ran around the desk and sat back in her chair.

It was at that moment that she heard Regina walking back down the stairs.

Thank God for good timing.

The door opened again, "Sorry about that, I needed to discuss something with one of the Board members." She sat down in her chair. "Now, what were we talking about?"

Emma lifted her chin, "The files?"she'd give her a chance to tell the truth.

Regina leaned forward, linking her hands again, "Miss Swan, despite the fact that you do have the Sheriff's badge and have some authority, this matter really does not concern you. If I were you, I'd just leave it alone."

Emma stared at her, not that surprised that that was her response. She shook her head, looking down. She missed the pure look of intense disdain on the Mayor's face. "You know what? Fine." She placed her hands on the armrests and pushed herself up.

"Thanks for your help, Mayor." Emma turned to leave.

Regina stood up and walked after her, following her to the door.

"You know I'm surprised at you, Sheriff. I never thought you'd actually listen to me." Regina leaned on the door. Emma turned around on the porch step, "First time for everything, huh?" she forced a smile.

Regina sent one back at her.

Emma almost turned to leave but stopped. "Hey, Mayor? Will you tell Henry I said 'hi'?"

Regina looked as though the words left a bad taste in her mouth and that that was the last thing she wanted to do. But she had just gotten Emma to back down so she was feeling kind of generous at the moment. She nodded reluctantly, "Alright. I will."

Emma nodded gratefully, "Thank you."

She turned and walked down the walkway.

She had some calls to make. She was going back to the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So not any Gold in here, but I actually have no idea which chapter he'll be in next. Hopefully everyone enjoyed this chapter, I had a bit of difficulty with it. Without my dose of Rumple/Gold my inspiration dwindled and I didn't know what to do for awhile there.
> 
> Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing after 'Skin Deep', this follows Emma as she tries to figure out who Mr. Gold really is, and what sort of secrets Storybrooke is really hiding. Gold/Emma, mentions Rumple/Belle, Prince/Snow, Jefferson/Belle, August/Red, Henry/Grace, etc

Chapter 3:

With her newfound information, Emma was able to find out that there was an underground-type of area in the hospital for the psychiatric wing. It had been a part of the original blueprint, but life happened and plans were changed and now they just use it for the really _really_ bad cases.

And it was her only lead.

It was nearing 6 o'clock at night when she pulled in to the hospital. The winds were picking up and the chill had turned to full on freezing. Emma pulled her hat on and tightened her coat around her before she got out of her tiny car. Her hair started flying the minute she set her foot out. She all but ran to the entrance.

The nurses seemed surprised to see her again so soon, but they ignored her after she flashed her badge. She guessed they thought she'd go talk to French before visiting hours were over, because the receptionist said "only till 7," when she walked up.

Emma rested her hands on the counter, "Actually," she began, tapping her fingers, "I need to visit your…psychiatric ward." She gauged the nurse's expression. "Is that okay?"

The woman glanced up and Emma saw the same fear that was in French's eyes. How many people were under the Mayor's tyranny?

"Uh…" the nurse fidgeted and started looking around, "We're not supposed to…" Emma cut her off, "It's very important. Sheriff business."

She stared into the other woman's eyes, trying to convey the importance of the situation. Something must have gotten through because the nurse let out a great sigh.

" _I'm going to get in so much trouble for this_ …" Emma heard her mutter. The woman looked up, "Okay. But be quick. Mildred is working down there and…just don't use my name." Emma didn't even know her name, so that was fine. She watched as the nurse turned away from her and started working again. For a second she was confused, but then saw the other woman's hand subtlety reach under the desk and press a button. A buzzing noise went off and Emma understood, quickly turning, and paced to the big metal door to the left of the reception desk where the noise came from. The door was unlocked and as she pulled it open she glanced at the signs next to it, telling her that, yes, this was where she needed to go.

She padded down the stairs, trying to be quick but silent. She took her hat off and stuffed it into her pocket, despite the fact that it got even colder the farther she went, if that was even possible. She rubbed her hands together and could see the landing in just a few more steps. Looking up as she touched down, she saw another desk. This one had a stern looking woman behind it, her dull blonde hair curled in the front into two large spirals with her nurse hat holding it up. Her cold eyes caught on Emma and Emma tried to push down a reaction. She couldn't back down now, not when she was so close.

The woman, Mildred, cocked a thin eyebrow, "Can I help you?" her dry voice was like ice. Emma swallowed. She hadn't thought that far ahead.

"Um," she thought swiftly, "One of the nurses needs to see you. Something about a new patient." Emma took measures to ensure her face gave away no lie.

Mildred considered her, "There can't be another patient, this ward is full."

Emma took that into account. She shrugged, "Then I guess someone's going to have to straighten that out."

Mildred studied Emma, and although it made her uncomfortable, she forced herself to not break eye contact. The woman smirked and started rounding the desk. "Alright. I guess it's going to have to be me then."

She stopped next to Emma, "Watch the desk for me, Sheriff Swan?"

Emma darted her eyes up, surprised at the use of her name. Mildred's smirk was still intact and something about her expression told Emma that she knew she was lying. Emma didn't look a gift horse in the mouth though. She nodded, her expression hard, "Sure."

Mildred returned the nod and continued walking, her heels clicking up the stairs. The minute Emma heard the buzzing of the door she immediately strode around the desk, and started looking.

There were, like the Mayor's office, many papers she went through. As she was sifting through them her hand brushed across something. A rose. Emma lifted it, a needling feeling coursing through her veins along with confusion. This was important, she just knew it. She forced herself to put it down. She had to hurry.

Her hands finally landed on a sheet with the patients of the ward on it.

_"There can't be another patient, this ward is full."_

Mildred's statement flickered through her mind, as she stared at the sheet with every name slot filled.

Except one.

Number 20.

Emma laid the sheet back down, her brain full of static, her body in a daze. Beth was here. She had to be. Emma walked out from behind the desk. She started down the long hallway, the concrete walls seemingly going on forever. She took a left, and then a right, and then another left. She passed by a lonely mop that still had water in the bucket, and a fleeting thought of where its owner was briefly hit her.

But that thought went out of her mind when she caught sight of cell number 19.

She froze. Her eyes slid toward the door directly to its right. The number twenty adorned the sign next to it, and Emma's heart suspended.

She was here.

For a moment, she felt indecisive and uncertain. Which confused her. Didn't she want to find Beth? Find out the mystery behind Mr. Gold's past, and why he was the way he was? What his connection to this girl was?

Right?

An unknown, but familiar, emotion gripped her heart, stopping her in her tracks. She wanted to find out… _didn't she_?

Her gaze unfocused, a nameless sadness running through her. A few minutes seemed to tick by before she finally shook her head, starting towards the door. This was just stupid, of course she had to know.

Still, her hand shook as it raised to the peephole. And it paused when her fingers just barely brushed the knob. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She gripped the handle and started to lift-

A buzzing sound made her jump, ripping her hand away from the door. Mildred was back. Emma took one more look at the cell, before sprinting back around all the other hallways. She just managed to arrive at the spot when Mildred's heels came into sight. Emma tried to conceal her harsh breathing.

"So," Emma began, "did you get it all straightened out?" She shot the woman an innocent look, to which a look of disbelief responded. Mildred walked all the way behind her desk, "Actually, there was no new patient." She pinned Emma with her piercing stare.

Emma widened her eyes, "Oh? Are you sure, because I could've sworn…" she trailed off at Mildred's look. "Well, my bad." She sent a chagrinned smile at the older woman. Mildred shook her head, "Yea. Your bad."

Silence stretched for a moment. Emma tried not to fidget. Mildred lifted an eyebrow, "Anything else?"

Emma shook her head, "Oh! No, um, that was it. Thank you for your time." She smiled at the nurse (which wasn't reciprocated).

Mildred stared, unamused, and nodded for her to be excused. Emma took it and hurried as fast as she could back up the stairs. It wasn't until she was out of the hospital and in her car that she let out her breath.

And then hit her head on the wheel.

Repeatedly.

_She was Right There!_

She let out a loud groan, and hit her head a few more times.

 _This_ is why she doesn't let her emotions get the better of her. Because it screws her up, and she can't get the job done.

She should've acted when she had the chance.

She hit the wheel again as she finally lifted her head. She was aggressive in her movements as she started the car, almost breaking the key as she turned it in the ignition. She stomped her foot down and sped out of the parking lot.

'At least', she reasoned as she drove, 'I got something out of this…'

She parked her car on the street.

There's an empty cell in the psychiatric ward that should be full. And the Mayor had a contract hidden in a locked drawer with French's signature on it regarding a patient. She knew for sure that something suspicious was going on. And she now had some information.

She let out a breath, 'Hopefully that'll be enough,' she thought, staring out window to the building across the street.

She bit her cheek, raising her courage before opening the door. The wind nipped at her heels as she headed over, the looming sign sending tremors through her stomach.

_Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop_

The little bell jingled, and she knew there was no turning back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger! :) Okay, I swear Gold is in the next chapter. I had started a drabble the same time I made this and somehow I managed to combine the two, so yea, he's definitely in the next one.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I know there are some inconsistencies in the canon of some things, but just stretch the truth a bit please. :)
> 
> (Btw, I added in a reference of sorts from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, I know that a bunch of people saw similarities between the nurse in the basement and the mop guy with two characters from that movie, and while I have never seen it personally, I thought this great way to give her a name ;)
> 
> And I'll be doing what the writers do- There'll be little parallels and ironies hidden throughout- for example the room number- there's usually a reason for a lot of the stuff that I name or write. Maybe not all the time, but most of the time. Its actually really easy to do!)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing after 'Skin Deep', this follows Emma as she tries to figure out who Mr. Gold really is, and what sort of secrets Storybrooke is really hiding. Gold/Emma, mentions Rumple/Belle, Prince/Snow, Jefferson/Belle, August/Red, Henry/Grace, etc

Chapter 4:

Her nerves skyrocketed the second she stepped foot inside. It was empty, something she didn't know whether to be happy or upset about. She took a breath, "Gold?"

She could hear rustling in the backroom and waited as patiently as she could, resisting the urge to tap her foot. Finally she saw the curtain move aside and the man duck out from behind. His eyes lit up when he saw her, and a smile twitched onto his face. "Sheriff Swan," he tilted his head, hair flipping out of his eyes, "What brings you to my humble establishment? I haven't committed another crime, have I?" he snapped his teeth playfully.

She shook her head, "No…not yet, anyway." His brow quirked in amusement.

"Oh? Well then why the visit?" he asked as he leaned forward on his counter. He splayed his fingers on the surface, fixing his gaze securely on her. She walked further in, taking measured steps halfway to where he stood.

"I talked with Moe French," she started, already seeing him start to tense up. His cheek muscle jumped and his knuckles started turning white. "I know about Beth."

He gave her a tight-lipped smile, "You know _nothing_ about her, Miss Swan." She suppressed a shiver at the darkness that flooded his eyes and voice. His expression stayed neutral. She took two more steps.

"I know enough. What I _don't_ know, is what she means to you." She paused a second, "No doubt she's important to you."

He looked up at her through a veil of hair, "You could say that," he gave her a heartless grin.

"Then why won't you tell me?" the desperation was already seeping in. She needed him to talk to her. She needed to understand. "You may not want to admit it, but I can help!"

His grin blazoned, his eyes wide, "Oh, I hate to tell you differently, dearie…but no, you can't," he pushed away from the counter and started around it, his cane gripped in his hand. "And despite your earlier accusations, I can do just fine by myself. I don't need anyone." He stared long into her eyes, unmoving, and it took all of her strength to not look away. He finally let up, facing away, his gaze on the ground.

"You'll never know if you don't let anyone in." she stood steadfast, back straight, eyes cloudy.

He turned to her, his eyes piercing hers, searching. A wry smile stretched across his face, "Oh that's rich, dearie, coming from the Queen of Walls herself." He slowly limped towards her. She refused to move an inch, watching every move he made.

He stopped a hair's breadth from her, "Do not preach what you cannot practice, Emma dear." His mouth settled into a firm line, his eyes staring into hers but far away, "It lessens your good intentions."

Her expression hardened.

"At least when up against the truth, I can face it."

His eyes focused and narrowed into slits. He leaned in and she could barely force herself not to move back. He stared at her for a long while, studying her. She made sure to not look away, staring resolutely into his eyes. He barely titled his head back and smirked, eyes still digging into her soul.

He leaned back in, possibly closer than before, "Well," he started, pursing his lips, "We can't all be the heroes now, can we, Sheriff?" his mouth twitched and he quickly did an about-face, limping quickly away.

He had made it behind the counter before she finally moved. She strode over to the counter, fully ready to cross the threshold, "You know for a guy with a limp, you sure run away a lot."

His halt caused her to freeze. The counter was the only thing separating them. He didn't move and for a moment she was scared of what he'd do. A chill ran down her spine.

His shoulders slumped and a weight formed in her heart.

He turned his head to the side and she could just make out a small upturn of his lips. "You're right." He rotated all the way around, and even though he was very close to her she didn't move away. She didn't even notice. He studied her, his eyes softening. He leaned in.

"But even so, Sherriff, " he narrowed his eyes, "My business is still none of yours."

Silence overtook them. She reeled in her emotions, not letting him have that pleasure. She searched his eyes and could find nothing. He had put up a wall, and she wasn't surprised. She'd expected him to clam up on her like this. She took a breath.

"Let me help," he opened his mouth to reply but she cut him off, "as a _friend_." His brow furrowed in confusion and she could understand. Hadn't she just told him a few weeks ago that she might allow tolerance? But she needed answers, and maybe this was the way to it.

He stayed silent for a while, most likely trying to figure her out. Then he smirked.

"You want to be my 'friend', Miss Swan?" he narrowed his eyes, "Why?"

She shrugged, "Maybe I'd rather be your ally than your enemy. Maybe I want you to trust me."

He barked out a laugh and she flinched. "You want me to trust you, when you cannot even trust me?" he leaned in farther, "Love…that's a little twisted," he crinkled his nose and eyes.

"I'm willing to try if you are," she shot him a hopeful, sincere look. He paused at that. He leaned backwards, looking at her in consideration. She held her breath, not removing her eyes from his.

His features softened after a moment, and his shoulders relaxed. He moved away, leaning back on the counter and facing her. He gave her a smile, "Okay. We'll try it your way, then."

Emma felt her eyebrows pull up. She didn't expect him to agree, if she were to be honest. She mimicked him and leaned on her side on the edge of the counter. She waited.

He smirked, tapping his cane on the floor, and then began, "Mr. French has never really had a handle on his payments. He was always late, always in debt. He got desperate. One of the times I went over there, he offered his daughter as a maid," he nodded his head emphatically, "Beth French, as you know." Emma nodded in understanding so far.

Gold looked away from her then, his eyes sliding to the many rows of antiques. His story continued, "I did not care at first, the company was quite pleasant and her services were very good, but that was all. Slowly a friendship built up and I looked forward to our conversations." He paused then, and Emma watched in silence as his eyes filled with an indefinable emotion. He tilted his head and thinned his lips against his teeth in a quick motion.

"Something happened then, and she got it into her head that she was in love with me. Tried to…change me for the better because she believed there was a good man in me." He let out a bitter chuckle, "I pushed her away. Feelings aside, I was never going to change. And she was naïve to think it would ever work out."

Gold looked to the floor now, "So I fired her, and when she went back, her father was so furious and upset that he beat her and locked her in her room. Rumor mill had been rampant by then, and no one wanted anything to do with her, so the French name was finished."

He paused again. Emma's gaze was fixated on him in mute shock and fascination, "And…what happened?"

He smiled quickly again, pain lacing it along every line. He finally turned back to her, "She killed herself."

Emma's eyes widened and her heart started beating rapidly, and she felt dizzy. He didn't know. He thought she was dead. She opened her mouth to tell him-

And then stopped herself.

She had to be rational about this. She didn't know the whole story. Obviously the Mayor was behind it, so she couldn't just open her mouth without thinking, without knowing all the facts.

But…

Hadn't she _just_ told him that she'd trust him?

She clenched her jaw, and threw caution to the wind. He could help her (she hoped). "What if she is alive?"

Time suspended for a moment when she looked at his face.

Pure fury washed over him, and then a deadly silence took him.

"Get. Out. _Now_ " he growled low in his throat.

A chill ran down her back, and she froze in place. He abruptly turned around and started back around the counter. She was finally able to get her feet to work and tried going after him, "Wait-!"

The slamming of the counter slab interrupted her and barricaded her from following him to the back. She looked up at him in surprise, and then narrowed her eyes, "You have to listen to me."

He let out a vicious laugh, "Ha! No, I don't," and he started to turn. She slammed her hands on the counter, "Why won't you listen to me! I'm trying to tell you something important!" He kept walking away, "Are you that full of yourself that you won't listen to what anybody else has to say?" He didn't stop.

"What if I'm right?" she shouted after him. He stopped for a second, "Well then, I guess I'm wrong." He turned his head to her, "Now, if you'll be so kind, Sheriff," he gestured with his head, "There's the door."

She was able to see a frown briefly before he spun away and walked into the back room. She called his name several times, each time louder. Finally she let out a frustrated yell and slammed her hands again down on the counter. He wasn't going to listen to her. She pushed away from the surface and stomped out the door, slamming it on her way out, bell rattling violently.

A pressure started building in her head, and her hands clenched into fists and began to tremble. She didn't breath until she was back in her car, once again slamming the door closed. She smacked the steering wheel and rested her head on it.

She shouldn't have opened her mouth. She might've just ruined _everything_.

She lay there for a long time, not moving an inch, trying to push her thoughts away. When her breathing finally leveled out, she sat up and started the car. And then in autopilot she drove home, her thoughts blessedly silent for the moment.

When she got there, the place was silent, and she assumed Mary Margaret was already in bed. Emma didn't blame her. The teacher had had a few rough weeks, she probably needed the rest. Emma sighed and without a sound trudged up the stairs to her room. She flopped onto her bed without taking her shoes off and sighed again into the blanket. Sleep started to pull her down, its tendrils slipping into her mind.

She tried to not think about him at all, but her dreams were quick to contradict her. Reels of images filled her sleep, memories of her short time in the strange town, and all she had seen.

And throughout it all, the sound of a cane tapping against the ground rung in her ears. Needless to say, she didn't get a good night's rest that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the long wait, I couldn't be sure how or where to go with this. Hopefully this chapter is okay :) 
> 
> Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing after 'Skin Deep', this follows Emma as she tries to figure out who Mr. Gold really is, and what sort of secrets Storybrooke is really hiding. Gold/Emma, mentions Rumple/Belle, Prince/Snow, Jefferson/Belle, August/Red, Henry/Grace, etc

Chapter 5:

For the next few weeks problem after problem bombarded Emma. Kathryn, David's wife, went missing and she had to bring him in for questioning. And then Ruby, who was her Deputy for a short time, found a heart, Kathryn's heart as it turned out, in a box near the Toll Bridge with Mary Margaret's prints on it. So then she had to arrest her best friend for the murder of her ex-lover's wife.

All the while, her and Gold stayed at odds with one another. When he came to offer his attorney services she could barely catch his eye. He still seemed angry about what she had suggested.

Fortunately, it seemed Regina never found out about her little escapade to the basement of the hospital. Emma actually only dealt with her for a minimum amount and only for the Nolan Case. It didn't stop her from annoying the hell out of Emma even during those small meetings.

She knew she had to suck it up though, and grovel for his help. She hated to admit it, but she needed him. She couldn't get the upper hand on Regina without help, and he seemed to know how to put the screws to the Mayor's plans.

So she went to his shop. And somehow they managed to reconcile their differences. They didn't mention her slip and instead just swiped it under the carpet.

Now she had a strong ally. Someone she could hopefully trust.

But then Mary Margaret pulled her vanishing act, and got herself kidnapped by a crazy hat maker who believed Henry's theory. Emma knew this because it just so happened that she got kidnapped as well.

But…

The experience left an impression on her, and a thought in her brain:

What if Henry was right?

She briefly saw Paige, the Mad Hatter Jefferson's 'daughter', and finally decided to look through the Story book Henry so cherished. The faces and stories were so similar that Emma lost her breath. And then a small spark of belief started inside her. And she held onto the book, reading every page, every chapter. With each word and every new character she met, it was like coming to Storybrooke all over again. She didn't fully believe yet, but there was definitely some evidence behind Henry's theory.

One character stuck out the most though. A certain deal-making imp.

Rumplestiltskin.

She had a few theories of her own about the stories, and one in particular was about him. She never mentioned anything to anyone. Nothing much changed as she prepared for Mary Margaret's hearing, but now when she spoke with Henry on Operation Cobra she paid a lot more attention.

She also continued to meet up with Mr. Gold to talk strategy. Not often but enough to where she became increasingly comfortable around the man. Sometimes they'd just talk or hang out instead of plan. And to her horror, she really liked it.

He wasn't as bad as others painted him. He had his moments, very often ones at that, of wit and charm and honesty. He knew what to say to put a smile on her face and to get her to talk, but he also knew how to spark her anger, and get her riled up.

But he was a very agreeable man, and it wasn't the awkward negative mess she thought it would be. Her trust in him slowly rose and, with it, her defenses went down.

And that's why at the end of one meeting she decided to mention the Story.

It was late, and she needed to head back to the station to check on Mary Margaret before returning to the lonely apartment for some much desired rest. Gold knew this and started to stand up behind his desk.

"I shouldn't keep you up, dear." Emma stood up as well, holding back a yawn, "No, no, it's okay." The yawn came back with a vengeance. "Okay, maybe I should then…"she agreed. She grinned at him and both shared a laugh.

Emma began putting her papers back in the bag she had them in, when suddenly her hand bumped into a hard cover.

The Book.

She glanced up at him. He knew everything about town, and she knew he had to be _someone_ , he was too powerful not to be. And even if she was wrong, she trusted him not to do anything…

She took a breath.

"Mr. Gold," she began, "Do you believe in…other worlds?"

He glanced up at her sharply, his posture stiffening. Emma knew when she hit sore spots with him. And she hit a big one.

He played it off nonchalantly, "What do you mean by that, dearie?"

She shrugged, "Uh, you know," she struggled for words, "Like an alternate universe type thing. Or like a…" she bit the bullet, "like a fairytale." She shrugged again, looking down and playing with the side of the book.

He narrowed his eyes playfully, "What brought this on?"

Emma shifted, "Well, I mean…you've heard about Henry's…thoughts…about the town…right?" She could barely keep her eyes on his, she kept darting them around the room. She wondered for a moment if this was a mistake.

Gold smiled in acknowledgement, "Ah, yes. How could I have not? The 'whole town is really full of fairytale creatures under a curse that makes them forget who they are' theory, correct?" He licked his lips, "Why do you wish to know, Miss Swan?"

She swallowed and tried shrugging nonchalantly, "I don't know. It's just kind of interesting, is all." She gently raked her nails over the pages nervously. "It's fun to try to pin each citizen to a character."

He tilted his head, his smile almost smug, "And who, pray tell, do you think _I_ am?"

Emma felt the sound get sucked out of the room and with it the air out of her lungs. She clenched her jaw, she had to do this right. What if she was wrong?

"Who do _you_ think you are?" She threw at him. His grin grew, if that were possible, the dimples seeming to stretch his face. "Hopefully someone powerful," he wiped his expression clean, getting serious, "Other than that," he shrugged, "Who knows?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, "You don't have your own theory at all?" she asked, her tone disbelieving. He quirked his brow at her, the corner of his mouth following it, "No, dearie. Should I?"

She studied him instead of responding. "No, I suppose not." She licked her lips, "After all, it's just a kid's imagination, right? It's not real."

He nodded his head, "Right." She could've believed his words, too. He was a very smooth talker. If only his face didn't give him away. His eyes were pained and regretful. He was lying.

A yawn gripped her again, and he watched her. "You should start heading out, Sheriff. Wouldn't want you falling asleep at the wheel." She nodded in concurrence, knowing he was right. She leaned forward again, grabbing some more papers.

"Thank you for your time…" she trailed off, pulling her bag over her shoulder. She looked him in the eye before turning around and walking away.

"…Rumplestiltskin." She finished the statement right as she pushed aside the curtain to walk out.

He never responded, but she knew he was staring after her.

And she could feel his smirk burning into her back despite the distance.

* * *

It was a few days later when she finally thought about what she had done. Henry had been able to sneak over to see her and they were just chatting in Mary Margaret's kitchen when she brought it up.

"So have you figured out who Mr. Gold is yet, kid?" Emma asked as she bit into a cookie. Henry's eyes widened at her, excitement lining his movements, happy that his mother was joining in Operation: Cobra with such interest. He swallowed his food, "No, not yet. But I have some theories!"

Emma quirked a brow, "Oh?" she finished off the treat, "Is one of them…Rumplestiltskin?"

Henry froze. Emma worried for a moment, afraid that she broke him somehow, "Henry? You okay, kid?" She leaned forward to put a hand on his forehead when he went into action again, "How did you think of that?" he asked as he slipped off his seat and retrieved the big storybook from her bag. He brought it back to their spot and opened it, flipping through the pages, "Where did you find him?"

Emma brushed her hands off and scooted closer to him, "Well, right here," she turned the pages until she reached it. She pointed at the picture, "See? That looks like him."

It was a dark picture, and it had a silhouette of a man's profile behind a spinning wheel. Shadows and lights poured in from the window behind him, the colors showing the shape of the man's face. It held a striking resemblance to Gold. This particular photo was from Jiminy Cricket's background story.

Henry groaned and smacked his forehead. "Of course! How could I not see it! It makes perfect sense!" Henry then went rattling on, flipping pages and listing off clues he should have seen. Emma sat watching him, hearing him but not hearing him, listening to him think through the mystery that surrounded the book. She felt pride swell in her.

All of a sudden Henry stopped everything, and looked up at her fearfully. "Emma…please tell me something."

Emma straightened, "Of course, kid." She waited, unsure of where this was going. She turned fully to him. Henry shifted nervously, "Have you…ummm…."

Emma raised her eyebrows expectantly, "Yea? Have I what?" she hurried him up, getting frustrated at the hesitation.

Henry took a breath, "Have you grown attached to him?"

Emma's eyes widened in shock. "Wh-what?" she felt her heart start to beat faster, but she disregarded it to surprise. She let out a laugh, "Henry, why would you even ask something like that?"

The boy shrugged, "Well, if someone like Belle can fall for him, then why not you?"

That stopped Emma in her tracks. She felt her entire body freeze, even the blood in her veins.

_What?_

"Belle?" She stared at him, barely daring to breath. Henry glanced at her and nodded, "Yea, Belle. You know…Beauty and the Beast?"

Emma gaped at him in confusion, "But…isn't that a completely different fairytale?" Henry shook his head, "No, actually, quite a few differ from Disney's versions and Grimm's. The actual tales are a lot more complex, some are meshed together and some haven't even happened that way." Henry continued, "Unlike the Grimm story, Rumplestiltskin has a lot more back story, and is a bit more of a grey area character than his counterpart. I'm still not sure if he is on our side."

Emma followed him as best she could, but her mind kept snagging on the Belle bit, "Okay, but Henry, back to the whole 'Belle' thing. Who is she? What was the story?"

Henry picked up half of the pages and flopped them over, he turned a few more and then pointed his index finger at some pictures, "Here. She went with Rumplestiltskin to save her village. I thought you read the stories?" Emma lifted the book from him, "I guess I must have missed this one," she mumbled as she skimmed through the words, getting the gist of the story.

_He told her to leave after she tried to give him True Love's Kiss. The Queen came to him later and told him Belle's father tortured her and beat her. Consequently, she killed herself because of the grief. He then fell into a pit of despair…_

Emma felt her insides constrict and her head become light.

"Oh my God…" she shook her head in disbelief, "Henry…?"

The boy turned his head up to her, "Yea?"

She looked over at him, her eyes wide, "I think I found Belle."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about how late this is and how short it is. I know this might not be how people imagined it would go, and I know it seems a little fast, but it's just where my imagination took me. Fair warning: I will be taking this to the fairytale world, post-curse. So if you don't like that, or don't want to read that, well…it's your call. It won't be happening for awhile though.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this, however. I'll be working on this and 'Eclipsed', both will be kind of like sisters (you'll see why much much later). I'm hoping to get to writing chapter 2 for Eclipsed soon.
> 
> Also, by the way, I recommend the songs I got the titles from. Maybe not to listen to while reading, but in general. Both are from the band 'Evans Blue', and I recommend their entire album: 'The Melody And The Energetic Nature Of Volume'. The two songs are their respectful titles.
> 
> Oh, and in case there was some confusion: This will be a Golden Swan fanfiction. Gold (Rumplestiltskin) and Emma will end up together. If you do not like that, please for your own sake, do not continue to read. I wouldn't want you to read something you do not agree with :) Just needed to make sure I put that out there, apparently there was some doubt, and it wasn't made clear. Just...clearing it up now :) Again, hope you've enjoyed it so far :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing after 'Skin Deep', this follows Emma as she tries to figure out who Mr. Gold really is, and what sort of secrets Storybrooke is really hiding. Gold/Emma, mentions Rumple/Belle, Prince/Snow, Jefferson/Belle, August/Red, Henry/Grace, etc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *QUICK NOTE: I don't care what the finale did, I'm still going the way I planned, so THIS IS NOW OFFICIALLY AU. The curse-breaking will definitely be different. But no worries, this is STILL GOLDEN SWAN. SAILING ON AND ON.

Chapter 6:

Henry's eyes expanded, "W-what? What do you mean?" His prepubescent voice went even higher in his shock. Emma turned back to the book, looking through it one more time to confirm her theory.

"I-I think I found Belle, or, rather, Beth. She's in one of the cells underneath the hospital. She's Moe French's daughter." She paused, trying to clear her buzzing thoughts. "I, I'm almost positive it's her."

Henry was rising slowly out of his chair, almost unconsciously, "Do you know what this means?"

Emma whipped her head towards him, "What?" the boy's face looked so serious, she felt her heart stop. A large grin split his face, though, and she felt her muscles relax. He looked so excited, the small dimples more noticeable now.

He leaned towards her, "You're one step closer to breaking the curse!" he whispered fiercely. She raised her eyebrows in response, "Really? Just from finding Belle?" 'What makes her so special?' she wondered.

Henry hopped up, "Well, I mean the fact that you've found another character, _knowing_ that they're from the fairytales…that's a _huge_ step, Emma!" He beamed at her, "You're amazing!" He quickly jumped back on the seat, babbling on about Operation: Cobra and the steps they can take now that they're on the right track. Emma kept up with his train of thought, but she kept snagging on what he just said. _"You're amazing!"_ she didn't know why, but a joy filled her at the words, overflowing into a large smile on her face. _"You're amazing!"_

"Emma, did you hear me?" Emma snapped back to her kid, "Wha-? Sorry, kid, what'd you say?"

"You need to get her out! Before the Evil Queen gets her! If she finds out that you know about Belle then she'll get rid of her for sure!"

Emma tilted her head, "What's so special about her, though?" She watched as Henry's face dropped, "Oh, uh…um. I'm not…sure." He sat there for a moment, trying to recall the importance of this character and Emma just quietly waited, patiently.

He perked up, "Well, she's important to Rumplestiltskin. The Evil Queen told him that it was basically his fault that Belle was dead. So if he were to find out that she's still alive and that the Queen lied, well…he'd be pretty mad," he shrugged sheepishly.

Emma quirked her mouth in acceptance, "I suppose so." She sat in thought for a moment. "But…how am I suppose to 'save' her from Regina? How can I get her out of there?"

Henry shrugged helplessly this time, "I don't know. I'm just a kid." Emma shot him a look and he couldn't hold back a tiny grin. She shook her head in amusement, "No, I suppose you wouldn't…" she let out a sigh. "Maybe…maybe I could get a warrant?" She looked at him for confirmation.

He shrugged again, "Um, I guess? Do you think that would work?"

Emma stood up, straightening her back and setting her shoulders. "It's going to have to."

* * *

The first place she went to was Moe French's house. She asked him to sign a form that gives his permission to take his daughter out of the cell, just in case she would need it. Then she went to District Attorney Spencer's office to get a warrant to release Beth French. Turned out she _would_ need Moe's signature to get his daughter out. It was only after she expressly emphasized Mr. French's obvious desire to have his daughter back and hinted on the dirt that could be dug up about this incident, Spencer finally signed the paper as well, mumbling about how it wasn't his problem anyway.

She raced to the hospital after that, intent on getting this over with as quickly possible. She felt as though she were under pressure, that she had to beat something in some sort of race. Who her opponent was, she had no clue, but she knew she had to hurry.

She dashed into the hospital, slamming the paper on the counter and commanding that they open the door. The nurse from last time did so without protest, fear in her eyes. Emma didn't wait to console her, practically running down the stairs now, calling over her shoulder for nurses to follow her, hoping she wasn't too late. She still didn't know what for.

She reached the bottom, but Nurse Mildred was not behind her desk. Emma looked to her left, where the hallway to the cells were and found her leaning on the door jam, looking at something Emma couldn't see. Emma immediately walked that way, her footfalls catching Mildred's attention. When the woman tried to say something or block her, Emma was quick to hold the paper up and walked on by. Mildred didn't say anything after her, and Emma kept walking. She could hear the backup nurses behind her, but still a bit away.

Up ahead she heard the sound of voices, one sticking out above the rest: "Hurry up! This needs to be over with as soon as possible," Regina's bossy tone making Emma cringe from even around the corner. She soon rounded it, coming to the hall that held cell 20. There stood the Mayor and a big burly man with long greasy dark hair.

"Stop!" she called out, causing the two to turn towards her, Regina's eyes widening in fury and surprise.

"Miss Swan -!" Regina started, but Emma was once again quick to hold the paper in her face. "I'm sorry Madame Mayor, but this is now police business, you can't be here. Please leave."

Regina's face began to glow as red as the apples she loved so much. She snatched the paper out of Emma's hand and scanned it. "What is this?"

Emma marched up to the man, noticing that he held the keys to the cell. She held her hand out while she answered, "It's a warrant to release Beth French. I also have her father's express wishes for her to be let out as well," the man gave her the keys after a moment's hesitation and she turned her head to give Regina a look, "if that's enough for you? Why are you here anyway, Regina? I thought you didn't know anything about this?"

Regina's face went even more red, and Emma felt no fear at the rage that bloomed in her eyes. She smirked at the mayor and turned her back on her and lifted the keys. The other nurses had finally caught up when she opened the large door, and she told them to stand by. She looked into the dark cell.

It was hard to see, but in the corner she could barely make out a small figure huddled up. She immediately went to it, "Beth," she called softly.

The figure stirred but didn't wake. She lightly placed her hand on the girl's shoulder, shaking her gently, "Beth," she said again. This time the motions woke her up, and the girl flinched when she came too, not knowing who Emma was. She pulled away quickly, and Emma began to try to console her. "No, no, it's okay." She held her hands up in a calm manner, "It's okay, I mean you no harm. I'm Emma."

A pair of blue eyes stared at her from under a mop of messy brown hair, fear and suspicion and exhaustion lacing her features. Emma smiled softly at her, "I'm going to get you out of here."

Beth didn't move at first, but after a few seconds of contemplation and studying Emma, the girl began to relax. Emma gave her another reassuring smile, "Okay. The nurses are going to take you upstairs now, in the room next to your father- you remember your father, Moe, right?" she double checked, just in case. The girl nodded jerkily, Emma smiled again, "Okay, then. The nurses are just going to look you over, and when they're done, you should hopefully be able to go see him." She paused, making sure she was following along, "Is that okay?"

Beth nodded again, her eyes beginning to glaze over. Emma turned to the door, and waved a few of them in, "Alright then, they're going to take you up now. They won't harm you, just follow their instructions."

Beth went with them willingly, only pausing for a moment before being obedient. The nurses each held an arm and led her out. Emma did a once over of the room, to see if the girl had anything with her. When nothing stuck out, she followed them. Regina was still fuming outside the door, and when Emma caught her eye she held back a smirk at the woman's pissed expression.

It was when the nurses set up a room for Beth and were looking her over that Emma realized what she would have to do now.

She was gonna have to tell Gold.

* * *

It was like déjà vu sitting in her car outside his shop. All the nerves came back up in her throat and she worried that she'd throw up. How was she to go about this? Last time she mentioned French's daughter and her potential living status he had kicked her out. It was only after she begged him for an allegiance that it all became water under the bridge.

Not to mention the fact that the last time she was here she had accused him of being a fairytale character.

_'Rumplestiltskin' was what she had called him._

What was she thinking saying that to him?

Emma shook her head and got out of the car, slamming the door with more force than necessary. She hurried across the street, clinging to the little amount of courage she had, and finally reached the door.

The little bell greeted her and she knew there was no turning back now. Her eyes caught sight of him nearer to the back, on the left side of the room. Upon her entrance he immediately looked up, and when he saw her he smiled. It unwillingly made her smile too, and she tried to push it down, knowing that what she was about to do would conceal that smile from her for an indefinite amount of time...She sucked in a breath.

"Ah, Miss Swan. Back so soon? I didn't think we'd meet up again this quick." Emma cocked her head, and he was swift to add, "Not that I mind your company of course," his grin widened pleasantly. She shook her head in amusement, and then schooled her features in one of all seriousness. She walked forward, "Gold, I need to tell you something." He sensed her change in mood and accommodated her, setting aside his cloth and folding his hands.

"Oh? What is it, dear? Is something wrong?" He was curious, for sure. He never took his gaze off her and it made it harder for her to spit out the words she knew she needed to say. So instead she looked away from him, turning her eyes to the objects lining the display case.

"No, nothing is wrong, per se…It's just that…"she paused and he nodded his head, "Just what?"

She bit her lip, "Just…" she waved her hand in gesture, "Um, don't freak out, but, uh…Remember Beth?" she blurted out, knowing that his face dropped the second she uttered the name. He clenched a fist on the counter, "Now, Miss Swan I thought I made it clear-!"

Emma interrupted him, "She's alive."

That stopped him. He froze where he was and, when she glanced up, the lost look on his face broke her heart. His head shook minutely, "You…you're lying," his voice was rough and filled with emotion.

She shook her head, "No. I'm not. She's at the hospital, I'll take you to see her if you want."

He stared at her with such wide eyes. She forced herself to keep the connection, letting him know that she was, in fact, not lying. He seemed to make a decision then, his eyes clearing and his head dropping as he began to circle the counter.

When he was within a foot distance from her he looked up and licked his lips, "Okay, Miss Swan," silence, "lead the way."

She watched him for but a few seconds before turning on her heel and walking out of the shop, Mr. Gold in tow.

She ignored the warning signs going off in her head of impending change. She ignored everything but the road ahead of her. Neither spoke the whole way over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reiterating what the first AN said - the finale didn't change a thing. I will continue with my plan, and this will forever be a GOLDEN SWAN fanfic. Just because it might seem like Rumpbelle, just go with it. Because yes, it is canon, but judging by everything that seems to be happening, the relationship doesn't seem like it'll hold up. And if this helps: I always like reading fanfics and story plots where jealousy is a key role in development. It can really help feelings and emotions along to their destination D
> 
> So don't worry, and be patient. True Love takes more than just a few episodes (chapters) and the beauty of Golden Swan is that its subtle :) Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Next will be Gold and Beth's reunion, and etc. I should have a lot of time to work on it now that my schedule's cleared up, but we'll see how things go. :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing after 'Skin Deep', this follows Emma as she tries to figure out who Mr. Gold really is, and what sort of secrets Storybrooke is really hiding. Gold/Emma, mentions Rumple/Belle, Prince/Snow, Jefferson/Belle, August/Red, Henry/Grace, etc

Chapter 7:

The silence from the car transitioned to the walk into the hospital and its waiting room. Emma went up to the front desk to ask when they could visit Beth, and they said that they were still checking her over. She was malnourished and still a little confused. They told Emma that in about five minutes they could go in.

And so five minutes of complete and total silence commenced. They sat on the opposite sides of the small waiting room, and despite her resistance to it, she couldn't stop looking at him. She kept wondering what would happen, how this meeting would go.

Why he wouldn't look at her anymore.

Gold seemed to refuse to look at her now that they were but a few feet from the girl's room. Emma hated to admit it, even to herself, but it hurt for some reason. It was confusing to say the least, and a tad bit irritating that it bothered her at all.

Right when she was about to open her mouth to say something to break the silence, a nurse walked up to them. She looked between them, puzzled by the seating, before saying that they could go in now. Emma glanced over at him, which he didn't return, and got up. She lead the way to the room.

The door was open when she walked up, and she knocked lightly on the door while entering. Beth was sitting up in her bed, looking dazed and a bit worse for wear but overall coherent. Emma journeyed over to the chair next to her, opposite of the entrance. She looked up, expecting to see Gold sitting in the other chair, but…

He was still standing in the doorway, shock etched in every line of his figure. If she thought his eyes were wide back at the shop, then she had another thing coming. He stared at Beth as if she was everything he had been searching for, and he had finally found it. He looked at her like she was everything to him. Like she was precious to him. The girl looked up at him and recognition glinted in her eyes. She smiled at him and immediately he relaxed. A sort of peace seemed to surround him now.

And all Emma wanted to do was punch a wall.

An indefinable emotion swelled within her and she felt something break off and wither away. She swallowed dryly, trying to get her bearings, trying to understand what this reaction was. Nothing was working and she feared that she would have a panic attack. They kept looking at each other, and he seemed to gravitate towards the girl and fucking sparkles seemed to explode around them and she wanted to scream-

She cleared her throat.

Both jerked their heads in her direction, the mood broken. Emma silently (and slightly ashamed- _slightly_ ) patted herself on the shoulder. She could feel the frantic emotion leave her body slowly, and she rotated her shoulders to help it along its way. They were still staring at her, Beth seemed to be in shock by her little interruption. Gold cleared his throat as well and sat gently down in the seat Emma left for him. He kept his head down, glancing at the brunette every now and then. Emma grabbed her notebook out of her pocket, setting her mouth in a tight line. A frown seemed to be constantly pulling the corners down and she was unable to produce even the lightest expression for the girl. She went straight to the questioning, all business and sheriff-like.

"So, Beth, do you remember why you were put in the cell in the first place? Do you remember the circumstances?" She pinned the girl with a hard stare and Beth flailed under the scrutiny. Emma felt Gold glaring at her and she tried to tone it down. She managed it to a degree.

Beth took a breath, "Yes," her accent wrapping itself around the word, something Emma hadn't noticed in the cell. "I had just been…fired from Ru- Mr. Gold's establishment…and when I got home everything had changed." Beth narrowed her eyes, trying to concentrate, "It was difficult for awhile. Father and I had trouble adjusting back to normal, and…" Beth groaned, trying to recall the events. Gold's hand shot out and gently rested on hers, squeezing to give comfort. Emma felt her stomach turn, but Beth's forehead smoothed out and her eyes gleamed "The Mayor…showed up one day and offered help." She paused, "Next thing I knew, I was in the cell underneath the hospital. The only people that I ever saw were the Mayor, the nurse…and the janitor." She paused again, thinking, a dreamy look on her face, "A few times another man stopped by and chatted, but it was rare. I never caught his name." She looked over at Emma, finished with her tale.

Emma nodded, writing all of the information down as she spoke it. "Did anything happen to you while you were in the cell? Did anyone hurt you? Did they treat you properly?"

Beth started to shake her head, but stopped. She lowered her head timidly, "Well, it's hard to explain. On the one hand I assumed I was there for a reason. My father had agreed with the contract the Mayor put up, and my father has never let me down…however he never visited. He didn't seem to remember me, and whenever the Mayor would visit, a hate would just build up within me. Something never felt right. I began to feel like a prisoner instead of a patient."

Emma tilted her head, still jotting down the information, "Well, Regina tends to bring that out in people. Sometimes other effects are gag reflexes, or the urge to punch something repeatedly in the face…preferably hers." She smirked at the girl's aghast expression. Gold hid a smile, but Emma caught it in the corner of her eye. Her smile widened and she looked back at her notebook.

She couldn't think of anything more to ask, but she didn't want to leave them alone just yet. She didn't know why, but her body just would not move from its position. She swallowed again, but it didn't help. She looked up, they were staring at each other again.

Emma bit her lip. She could feel her incisors digging into the sensitive skin and she bit harder, trying to block out the other pain.

She had to leave.

Bracing herself, she stood up and put her notebook in her back pocket. "Well," they looked over at her, "I think that's all I need to know now…" she stood there awkwardly for a moment, "So…I'll just…go now."

She nodded to both of them and stepped around the bed, careful to avoid eye contact with either…especially him.

She didn't think they missed her.

It wasn't until she reached the lobby that she realized she drove him here. Which meant…that she would have to drive him back.

Emma ground her teeth together, biting back curse after curse. She stomped the ground, ignoring the looks the nurses were giving her. She dug her fingers through her hair, frustrated at these turn of events.

Maybe she should just leave him. He would've left her. What the hell should she care about him? She doesn't even trust the bastard! He's done nothing but cause her pain and annoyance. She should just leave him here to walk home by himself. She set her jaw: she had made her decision.

She dropped into one of the chairs near the front, banging her head on the wall. She knew she couldn't, wouldn't, leave him.

'Dammit,' it was times like this that she wished she was as heartless as Regina.

She leaned her head back, gently this time. She knew she'd be waiting awhile.

As she sat there she took a second and reflected on the past-hour? It's been an hour already. She thought of all the emotions that had gripped her in quick successions. All the feelings that seemed to suffocate her at the most improbable times. She didn't know what was causing it. She didn't even like Gold. _At all._

She didn't.

Emma closed her eyes. Her mind was aching, and her body felt hollow. She should rest, but her thoughts kept racing. She took a deep breath- and held it. Then slowly she let it out. She repeated this process twice, before breathing normally again. It wasn't working. The dark feelings crept up her spine, intertwining into knots in her brain. They kept coming up, they wouldn't stop and the more she thought about what could be happening in that hospital room, the farther down she sunk into a dark place.

* * *

A noise startled her, and she jerked her head up and reached for her gun. That was the wrong move to make because her neck cracked from sitting in an awkward position. She let out a hiss and the hand that was going for her gun, shot to her neck. To her left she heard a chuckle and she glanced up, still cradling the back of her neck. Gold was standing there, poised with his cane, impeccable as always. He looked down at her, amused. She looked at the clock and saw that she had fallen asleep for about half an hour. She rubbed her neck some more as she stood up.

"Miss Swan? You're still here?" he asked, not unkindly, but it caused a pang in her chest. Was she really not wanted again? She shook the thought away, and looked at him, "Well, I drove you here," she dropped her arm and it slapped against her leg, "So I guess I just assumed that the right thing would be to drive you back." She shrugged and looked away.

Mr. Gold nodded, a smile curling his lips. "Ah, I see. Well thank you, my dear."He looked on her with a soft expression and Emma felt her walls crumble a bit. Then she realized that it probably wasn't really because of her that he was forming the expression. The walls went back up. He continued, "I will take you up on that offer, if it really is not too much trouble."

She lifted her shoulders, "Nope. No trouble. None at all." She bopped her head for a few seconds awkwardly, "Sooooo, are you ready now?" She lifted her eyebrows at him and swung her arms in the direction of the exit, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

He nodded and began limping that way, her on his heels. She tried to walk as slow as possible, so she didn't walk _with_ him, but it seemed to be impossible and she ended up side by side, walking step for step with him.

She also tried to take care to not brush against him, but that horse was shot in the face pretty quickly. Every time the fabrics on their coats whispered against each other, she bit her lip, repeating to herself over and over that it meant nothing. Not to her, and certainly not to him. An image of a brunette easily squashed any feelings she had about the small moment.

They reached the car and she hurried to the driver's side, intent on getting this done and over with. She drove back to his shop (the destination was something that he insisted upon despite her offer to drive him to his house) in record time, but still staying at the speed limit. He got out and, after thanking her, walked up to the door and entered. Emma sat in her car for about a minute, staring at the entrance, before putting it in drive and pulling away.

She didn't get much sleep that night. She instead drank a cup of hot chocolate with a dash of cinnamon (and more than a swig of whiskey) into an oblivion where no dreams (or nightmares) would haunt her. When she woke up the next morning she had a moment's peace with no memories of the previous day's events. Then everything came crashing down around her when she saw that Gold had left a voicemail on her phone.

She had completely forgotten about Mary Margaret's transference from the jail.

She quickly got up and hurried around the apartment, throwing on an outfit and making sure she looked decent before booking it outside to her car. She sped through the city to the Sheriff's office and walked in right when they were opening her cell. Gold was already there and standing near the entrance to her office. Emma rushed to Mary Margaret's side, trying to say words of comfort and promising things that she didn't know if she could keep. She tried giving her friend hope, but the woman never looked at her. She kept her head down and walked with hunched shoulders. Emma watched despairingly as the closest thing she had to family was escorted out of the building. She glanced at the only person left in the room and felt anger well up.

She strode up to him, "I trusted you. You told me you would help me against Regina." She was standing a few feet away now, "And now my friend is going to pay for me trusting you!"

Gold tilted his head at her, "Sheriff," he began and her glare grew fiercer. He paused, "Look. I know that this is emotional. But it's not all bad." She gave him a dubious look, and he smiled at her, "You must have faith, there's still time."

She scrunched her face up, the glare still firmly in place, "Time for what?"

His smile morphed into a smirk, "Time for me to work a little magic." He kept gazing into her eyes for a long moment and she couldn't look away. Slowly he turned and walked away. She didn't move from where she was standing. When he left her line of sight she turned her eyes to the ground, feeling the frustration that had been building over the past few days mounting.

She gradually stepped into her office and leaned over her desk, anchoring her hands on the surface. She hung her head, and felt the emotions finally reach the boiling point. Without warning her hand reached out and grabbed the first thing near her - the flower vase that Sydney had left for her. She chucked it with all her might at the file cabinet, letting her anger out through the action. The vase smashed into pieces and water coated the floor. She rested her hands on her hips and tried to take deep breaths, tried to calm down.

As she slowly circled in one spot she noticed something on the ground. She reached down and picked it up. It was small and mechanical with wires sticking out. Looking closer she realized exactly what it was, having used something similar in her previous career.

It was a listening device. Sydney was a mole. And Emma knew exactly who for. She clenched her hand that didn't have the bug in it, angry that she had actually trusted the man. She exhaled through her nose and set about putting the bug in an evidence bag. She'd need it for later.

But for now she needed some air to think.

* * *

She was walking up the steps to the diner when she bumped into August who was walking out the door. She remembered the accusations she put to him earlier that week. She had called him untrustworthy and a liar. She had thought he was the 'spy', being the stranger in town. She regretted it now, and she apologized for doubting him. He had actually been one of the few people that she could rely on.

They were in the middle of talking when Ruby's scream pierced the air, causing both of them to almost jump out of their skins. Sharing a look they both ran into the alley that went along the side of the diner to the back. They came across a distraught Ruby who was hurrying away from whatever had been behind the building.

"Ruby!" she called. "What's going on?"

The other woman was breathing heavily, seemingly on the verge of a panic attack. "She-she's in the alley!" she said, pointing behind her with trembling arms.

Emma looked at her with worried wide eyes, "Who?" but Ruby couldn't answer, as she leaned back against the building. The shock seemed too much for her. August went to her in concern, "Hey, are you alright?"

When Emma knew that Ruby was being taken care of she hurried to the alley. There was a figure on the ground, huddled face down next to a car in the parking lot.

Emma advanced on it, kneeling next the person. Carefully she lifted them onto their side, noticing that their breathing was not that of someone unconscious. The person sat up the rest of the way on their own and Emma suddenly found herself looking into the wild, scared eyes of Kathryn Nolan.

The supposedly deceased Kathryn Nolan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy Crap, you guys. I finished this chapter pretty quickly :D Hope you like it. I did add some stuff from 1x18, 'The Stable Boy', because it will be relevant to the plot :) 
> 
> Again, another reminder, This is Golden Swan. Do not think this will end Rumpbelle. I would never do that.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review! :D


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing after 'Skin Deep', this follows Emma as she tries to figure out who Mr. Gold really is, and what sort of secrets Storybrooke is really hiding. Gold/Emma, mentions Rumple/Belle, Prince/Snow, Jefferson/Belle, August/Red, Henry/Grace, etc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gonna be a bit of time jumps in this chapter. I'd drag it out, but I don't think I can do that for this particular plot. Sorry if you think it's rushed, it will require a bit of a stretch of imagination, but I want to hurry to FTL land soon. We're almost halfway through :)

Chapter 8:

Finding Kathryn opened a lot of floodgates. But there were two that were the most important. One: it proved Mary Margaret's innocence. And two: it implicated the Mayor being involved somehow.

Now that Emma had a lot of the pieces together, adding up all the discrepancies and the little oddities here and there that Regina had been connected to, she knew that something was up. She knew the Mayor was involved in something big, something that shouldn't go undiscovered.

And Emma was determined to find out what.

She kept everything close to the chest. She only told those she knew she could trust with her life. There wasn't many, but it was easier to keep track of everything that way. The small group included Henry (when Regina wasn't keeping him under lock and key), August, and Mary Margaret (who had been released due to recent evidence, aka Kathryn's reappearance).

There were a few others that she might've added, but these three were the only ones that she trusted fully at the moment.

So she laid out all her evidence to them. And she told them all she had come across, and that's when the idea of taking Regina to court for the kidnapping of Kathryn came to creation. But she had to plan it carefully, she couldn't have this blowing up in her face like the 'shovel' ordeal.

She went to the hospital, to talk with the recuperating Kathryn, taking great pains to stay as far away from another certain room as possible. She got as much information as she could, taking it easy on the woman. She had been through so much as it was, Emma didn't want to make it worse.

However she was given great leads. And then from that she was able to get more and more evidence. Time passed, a few months went by and Emma had finally accumulated a case against the Mayor.

When she had finally gotten everything she needed together she went to _him_.

She hadn't talked with him much, only for small things here and there. He had helped her with some of her ideas, and he had helped her with gaining the proof, but that was about it. Emma tried to distance herself from him. She didn't want to get to close, not when he had Beth to take care of now. She didn't want to intrude and the feelings that kept bubbling up when she was around them were starting to become more and more noticeable.

But she needed to confer with him about what she was about to set out and do. She didn't feel right about not telling him. After all, he had helped her out with everything else. So, with a weight on her shoulders and a deep breath she knocked on his front door.

She didn't know if he had Beth there with him or not, though she was hoping for the latter. She didn't want to be around them together again. She had finally gotten her stomach to stop churning from the last encounter.

She heard the sound of footsteps and a cane walking in harmony towards the door. She readied herself for him, straightening her shoulders and taking one more deep breath.

The door opened.

The first thought that flit through her mind was _'I've missed him.'_ And she had. Looking upon him now, an emotion she hadn't felt since she had seen Henry again filled her: intense longing. He looked essentially the same since she last saw him some weeks ago. However there were some big changes. The way he held himself for instance, something was off. He stood straighter, more in control of himself, and more confident. The other thing was his eyes. They held more knowledge, if that were even possible, and more mischievousness. However they were also worn down, she could see a hint of sadness in those dark depths and she wondered if all was right in paradise.

The minute those eyes landed on her they seemed to lighten, and his customary smile for her grew on his lips. She couldn't help but smile back a little, but it faded quickly. She needed to get down to business.

"Hello, princess. What brings you to the Beast's castle?" he smile morphed into a smirk, and Emma rolled her eyes in exasperation and amusement.

" I am _not_ a princess and you're certainly not a beast. At least not yet, anyways." She grinned at him, joking. She licked her lips, "Actually I need to talk to you about something." He quirked a brow, "Yes, dear? What is it?"

Emma bit her lip and glanced behind her, feeling imaginary eyes on her, imaginary spies of Regina's watching her. Or even the woman herself. She turned back to him and he seemed to realize what it was she wanted to talk about without her voicing it. "Please come in, dearie." And he let her in.

The rest of the house seemed empty. No other footsteps echoed through and Emma made sure of this by listening out for them. Or maybe she wasn't walking around…

The thought caused bile to rise and Emma tried to keep it down, instead focusing on the man in front of her. He walked her into a sitting room, the room where they had their little standoff when he had been robbed. He offered her one of the comfy looking chairs and sat in the one opposite of it.

She sat down and took the time to look around her at the room. There were a lot of knick-knacks laying around and Emma wondered if he actually sold anything at his shop. She stalled for a few more moments, trying to drag it out as much as possible by never looking back at him. But with a clearing of his throat she had to look over at him.

"You wanted to talk, love?" He gestured with his hands. She pushed the fact that he called her love out of her head and tried to focus on what she wanted to say. She swallowed and leaned forward in her seat towards him.

"I'm going to take Regina to court. And I'm going to try to put her away for what she has done."She stopped then, watching for his reaction. His brow furrowed and his mouth went into a firm line. His face went utterly serious and his eyes were intense on her own. He leaned forward as well.

"Are you sure you are ready for this?"He searched her features, and she allowed him. She nodded, "Yes. She needs to be tried for her crimes. They've gone unchecked for too long."

She was trying to convey her determination. She needed to do this. For the town, for her own peace of mind, but most importantly for Henry. She wouldn't be doing any of this if not for Henry. She felt a fierce need to protect that kid, and she would die trying. Or…in this case, deal with Regina.

Mr. Gold nodded, "What are you planning to do about it? You can't just accuse the Mayor without evidence."

Emma nodded frantically, and she scooted her chair closer to his, "Well, here's what I have so far-" and began to list everything she had accumulated. During her explanation he would nod and keep his full attention on her. He didn't speak until she was finished.

"Well, you have a fine case, Sheriff. All that's left now is for me to ask you a question."

She stared at him, anxious, "What is it?"

He paused, "Do you believe?"

Silence permeated the air. She knew what he was asking her. She knew, but she could not answer, her voice would not come to her. She couldn't look away from him, and she couldn't find the words, though she knew them. Her mind suspended from her body and everything seemed to pull and push away from each other.

Until something stuck.

A picture from Henry's book. Just one.

Of a Queen with lips red as blood and hair black as night. Sitting on a bed next to a Charming King. Holding a child, a newborn, in a white blanket with purple embroidery.

It said 'Emma'.

And suddenly she had her answer.

"Yes."

He smiled.

* * *

And so they began. Gold helped her finalize everything, helping her get everything together. Henry made sure that Regina had no idea that they were creating a case against her. August gained more evidence, secretly asking around and garnering trust from the townspeople one by one. He spread doubt on the Mayor, subtly, but it was there. Mary Margaret was Emma's backbone, what held her up. She gave her the support she needed and provided any kind of help she could.

And it was because of everyone's efforts that she could walk into the Mayor's office now. Henry found out that everyone of 'importance' in the town, including reporters, would be at a meeting today. And so, today Emma would strike.

She walked in without hesitation, and when Regina turned to yell at her, Emma interrupted her.

"Mayor Regina Mills, you are under arrest for fraud, theft, lying under oath, and the attempted murder of Kathryn Nolan."

And then all hell broke loose.

* * *

Emma knew the trial would be a sham. She wasn't under any delusion. But she would bring to light everything she knew about the Mayor. Her townspeople would be under no delusion about the person governing them.

Mr. Gold agreed to be the prosecutor, to Emma's surprise. He had only smiled at her shocked expression, but she was glad that he was helping her still. She didn't want let him know just how much she relied on him.

Before the trial happened, Regina had gone through the same process as Mary Margaret and stayed in the cells at the Sheriff's office. She was there for two days. The short amount of time was because of the importance of her position. They wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. And at every chance she could, Regina would spit poisonous words at Emma.

Emma just ignored her.

Finally it came time for the trial.

It was hellish and sluggish. Emma knew it wouldn't be impartial, since Regina had her claws in everyone and everything in the higher ups. But Gold went toe-to-toe with them. He would take what they threw at their accusations and turn it around. It was like he was spinning a thread, it was so intricately woven that even Emma herself couldn't find any flaw in it, not even Regina's puppets could say anything against it.

And then they called Regina to the stand.

If she thought Gold's standoff with the defense lawyer (funnily enough it was Spencer) was something, then she was in for a treat with this. It was like watching a tennis match with bated breath. They both were relentless, each not giving an inch. Regina had her own story fully ironed out, and she stuck with it.

Until Gold finally found the chink in her armor, the hole in her story. The meeting with Kathryn before she took off. And her fingerprints on the Nolan's doorknob. Kathryn's side of what had happened. Regina hadn't expected the other woman to talk, and was caught off guard. Gold knew this, and boy did he take a chisel to it.

Suddenly Regina was stuttering and letting everything out. She didn't seem so invincible anymore, and the jurors could see that. Regina's eyes were wide and her armor had fallen. She turned to glare at Emma. Emma returned it without hesitation.

"Oh, don't look at her, Mayor. I'm the one asking the questions." Gold stepped between them, a smirk permanently attached to his face. His eyes, though, were hard and cold as they stared at Regina. She turned her glare on him, and snarled, "Protecting her, are we? We all know you are both in on this."

Mr. Gold's smirk widened, "I'm not the one on trial here, Ms. Mills. I'd worry about yourself."

Regina ground her teeth, her rage tangible in the courtroom. "Oh, wouldn't you just like that! You planned this, you little imp! You knew this was going to happe-!"

"I didn't plan anything, Mayor." Gold interrupted her, cool and calm again. "In fact, you're the only one indicting yourself right now. Sheriff Swan just finally took action."

Regina once again glared at Emma, her eyes almost slits. The courtroom was silent except for the three. Regina seemed to forget everyone else was there, and everyone else were too afraid and speechless to interrupt them or say anything. Everyone was focused on them.

Emma stood up then. Her own eyes narrowed at the fallen Mayor. She could hear the judge telling her to sit down, but Gold waved him down. Regina kept her eyes riveted on Emma, practically spitting fire at her. Emma squared her shoulders. "You are an evil person."

Regina scoffed, but Emma continued, "Yes, you probably have reasons behind this. You are probably horribly scarred and bitter. But that is no excuse for the things you have done."

Regina cocked her head, "All the things I've _done_? Miss Swan, you have nothing."

Emma smirked and tilted her head, "I don't mean just in _this_ world."

That stopped Regina cold. Her face dropped and she stared at Emma, a touch of fear in those dead eyes. Emma's smirk turned icy, "Yea, scary, huh? That I know, now? That I know all about the crimes you've committed. Against me, my family, this town." Emma began walking out behind the prosecutor's table, and she could feel Henry's support behind her. She knew he was sitting with Mary Margaret and David Nolan, who had made amends with the woman and his ex-wife, in the front row. She felt _their_ support and knew she could do this.

Gold stood near her, but by her side. He watched the Mayor quiver in anger and fear in her seat without saying anything. But the smirk on his face said it all. He was enjoying this.

Emma stood in front of the Mayor, between her and the townspeople. Silently taking up her role of protector, even now.

"It sucks, doesn't it, Mayor? All your hard work, down the drain."

Regina glare deepened and she lowered her head and hunched her shoulders, "What are you going to do?" her voice was low and rough, anger coursing through every word.

Emma smiled at her, "I'm going to stop you. Because guess what, your majesty? _I believe now_ ," she paused for an effect.

"And _you don't win."_

And then the building started to shake. Everyone jumped, and started to grab onto something. Emma looked up at the ceiling. It was starting to crumble and come apart. This _world_ was starting to fall apart. Purple smoke and clouds began overtaking everything and she could hear everyone start screaming.

The building began to fall in pieces and the clouds began to swoop down. Without thinking Emma whipped around, her eyes searching. " _Henry!_ "

"Emma!" She could see him behind the rail, his entire face lit up with a smile. " _Emma! You did it!_ "

She tried to run towards him, frantic to get to him, to wrap her arms around him and protect him. But before she could even take two steps the purple smoke swooped in front of her and she had to throw her arms up.

" _Henry!_ " and then darkness claimed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of Storybrooke. I know this is definitely not how the curse is broken, but I kind of saw it happening this way. The purple cloud brought them there, and it'll take them back :) Hope this was okay. I know the court stuff was bad and rushed, but honestly…I'm not that good with stuff like that and I needed to hurry it along to FTL xD We're about halfway now, so please keep a look out for more. Regina's not going down that easily ;) 
> 
> Hope you liked it, please review :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing after 'Skin Deep', this follows Emma as she tries to figure out who Mr. Gold really is, and what sort of secrets Storybrooke is really hiding. Gold/Emma, mentions Rumple/Belle, Prince/Snow, Jefferson/Belle, August/Red, Henry/Grace, etc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, we're in FTL now :)

Emma felt like she was underwater. She didn't know where she was. Up, down, sideways…it was all the same to her.

She could barely remember anything. All she knew was that the world that she knew, that she grew up with, was gone from her forever. She just knew she would never go back there.

It was never real.

Suddenly she could see something up ahead. She could feel herself climbing to the surface but it was so murky. She tried reaching for it, trying to get to the end of it. She could hear voices and someone's hand on her. She focused on it and pulled herself to it-

And woke up.

She was laying down on a bed. There were people around her, but her senses weren't focused enough for her to _see_ them. She laid back and waited, trying not to bring attention to herself in the meantime. Nobody had noticed she was awake yet and she wanted to keep it that way.

Finally her eyes and ears cleared and she could see that they were maids of some sort, and she was in a grand bedroom on a plush bed. The women were walking around the room, fixing it up and cleaning stuff up. They didn't seem dangerous.

Emma cautiously opened her eyes all the way and slowly began to sit up. By the time she was fully erect one of the maids had noticed her and had stopped moving. The others, seeing her as well, copied their coworker and were now staring at Emma. Emma glanced at all of them, confused and a bit scared. Nobody moved for a few moments.

And then everything started up again. Some of them gasped and some dropped what they were doing and left. One was saying something about how "She's awake. Get the King and Queen!" And some went up to her and started looking her over.

Emma, uncomfortable with everyone in her face, started to swat them away. "Hey! What are you doing? Where am I?" And her voice finally came back, too, apparently.

They wouldn't stop though, despite Emma's protests. And they wouldn't answer her question. They only backed off when they heard others coming towards the door. Emma couldn't see anything, the maids were still in the way. She slowly lowered her feet to the floor, noticing only now the gown that had been put on her. She mentally cringed and prepared herself for who was walking through the door. The maids had lined themselves up, so apparently it was the 'royals' of this place. She could hear two pairs of feet rushing her way and she tensed, readying herself for whatever lay ahead. She could hear them rounding the door threshold and-Found herself looking at a breathless Mary Margaret and David.

No. That's not right.

It was Snow White and Prince James. Her parents.

Mary Margaret- or rather Snow White's hair was long in this world, but her features were the same. Still the kind-looking woman she knew from before, and that calmed her. She had a bit more strength in her posture, the biggest difference from the timid school teacher from Storybrooke. And David- Charming looked exactly the same in physical appearance. It was his eyes and stance that was different. He had more confidence, more bravery in his step. Something so unlike the spineless, cowardly man that cheated on his wife back in the other place.

Their eyes were still locked on her. As though they couldn't believe what they were seeing. Emma suddenly realized what was in front of her. What was _really_ in front of her.

Her family. The people who risked everything so she might have lived better. The people who gave her life and who loved her.

Suddenly the trance seemed to break. Snow and Charming moved from their frozen stance and rushed towards Emma, tears in their eyes. For once Emma didn't feel herself tense up at the oncoming attack.

They reached her and when they did Emma felt arms wrap around her and hold her. Snow was crying and clutching Emma to her body, as though she might disappear. "My Emma, my baby…"she sobbed. Charming had his arms circling both his girls, a tight barrier around the small family. He was trembling with emotion and Emma felt tears drip onto her.

And for the first time in her life, Emma felt truly loved and safe. She felt like she was finally apart of a family, _her family_. She felt her own tears coming up and she lifted her arms and grasped onto her parents, burrowing into their embrace. She imprinted this into her mind, knowing this was one of _the_ most important happenings in her life. One of her most precious moments.

The three pulled back a little to look at each other. Despite seeing these faces in the other world and knowing them by other names, she couldn't see them as anything other than her parents now.

And then she realized. She did it. She broke the curse. She was home. "I'm home." A smile split her face, she beamed at her parents. They returned it and before she knew it they were all laughing and crying.

Snow framed her daughter's face, brushing hair out of her face, "You are home. We all are." Emma smiled at her. James rested his hand on Emma's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. He looked her in the eye and with more emotion than she's ever seen in her 28 years he said:

"We are so proud of you, Emma. We love you so much." And Emma felt the tears come again.

The tough girl in her was protesting the amount of weakness she was showing. All these years of hardening her walls, not allowing herself to break down in front of anyone, much less the people that abandoned her. But…looking at them now, she knew. They didn't abandon her. They didn't want to let her go.

And now she had them back. She could allow this moment of weakness.

They spent a few minutes kneeling there. Just soaking in the moment, each other, and the fact that it was happening.

A clearing of the throat cut the moment in half. The Charmings turned in one motion towards the door where a maid stood. She straightened up when all three of their attentions were on her, but her training kicked in and she got to the point.

"Your Highness, your guests are waiting in the ballroom."

Snow's eyes widened with realization and she brought her hands to her cheeks, "Oh! I completely forgot!" and she picked herself off the floor. She gestured for them to follow her up and they obeyed. She turned to James.

"I'm going to get her ready. Can you-?" James smiled at her and held her hands to his chest, "Of course. Whatever you need." He leaned in towards her, "Just try to hurry okay?" Snow smiled at him and gave him a kiss. He turned to Emma and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek, smiling at her with adoration, before following the maid out the door.

Snow swiveled to Emma, a huge smile on her face. Emma quirked a brow at her mom. Both women were chipper, too. That was another similarity Emma found between this world and the counterpart and it made her smile fondly. But then she remembered her confusion, "What's going on?"

Snow's smile got even wider, if that were possible. "Well, after you broke the curse-"

Emma held up a hand, "Wait. You remember Storybrooke? Does everyone?"

Snow nodded, "Yes. The curse let us keep both memories. It caused some…problems, but everything seems to be sorted out now." She waved her hands, "But anyway, everyone got back and woke up. Time has started to move again. And we have you to thank for that." She reached forward and clasped Emma's hands. "So everyone wanted to throw a party, in honor of you and your accomplishment."She smiled widely. Emma thought for a second.

"Wh-what happened to Regina?"

At the mention of the woman's name Snow's bright face darkened, catching Emma off guard. "She hasn't been found yet. We think she's back at her castle, but there is so much magic surrounding it that we haven't been able to see."

Emma nodded absently, thinking about what she said. Suddenly a thought hit her, making her sick that she could forget such a thing. She gripped her mother's hands tightly, fear coursing through her veins now.

"Where's Henry? I saw him in court, but the cloud thingy took me before I could reach him! Is he okay? Is he safe?" She stared imploringly at the other woman, hoping she would give her good news. But by the looks of her expression it wasn't going to be good.

Snow shook her head sadly, "I'm so sorry, dear. We haven't found him, he hasn't turned up yet. Charming sent out as many riders as he could to look for him, scouring the land, but they haven't been able to locate him." She squeezed Emma's hands, "I'm so sorry, sweetheart."

Emma was numb. She had finally, _finally_ , gotten her family back. But at the price of what? Henry was lost to her. She knew that Snow wanted her to have hope, but she was sinking into a melancholy that she didn't see an end to. If anyone should be here, it should've been Henry. He was the one who believed in this stuff. He's the one who got _her_ to believe.

And now he couldn't see the product of his faith.

Snow could see the turmoil in her daughter's face and her heart broke for her. "I-I know that you must be thinking that…he won't show up." Emma's eyes slowly looked up at her. "That…because he wasn't a part of the original curse that…he's gone." Snow bit her lip, cautious of how to continue, feeling her lack of experience as a mother hitting her hard. She took a deep breath, "But you have to have faith. Have faith that you will find him." She tilted Emma's head up and smiled softly. "It's the only way to go on."

Emma swallowed dryly, feeling the despair curling around her heart despite her mother's words. She nodded regardless, "I-I'll try, but…it doesn't look good," she exhaled deeply.

Snow nodded sadly, "I know. I'm sorry."

A silence overtook the room. Both women stood in thought. Finally the footsteps of another maid snapped them out of it. "My Queen," she began, but Snow waved her off, "We'll be there in a second." She smiled at the woman and the maid left to go inform the King.

Snow turned back to Emma, her smile tinged with regret. "We have to get ready," she said carefully. Emma nodded. Snow took her by the hand and led her to the dresser.

"Okay, let's see what we have here."

* * *

Emma couldn't believe she was wearing this.

Somehow her mother had talked her into wearing this dress. Something about needing to at least act like the princess she is, at least for now. It was an off-white fabric, something that went well with the idea of her being 'the savior'. It was off the shoulders and it flowed to the ground. There was a fabric belt around her waist, the tie falling down the front of her dress like a robe. The sleeves were long and reached past her knuckles in a point. Her hair was down and natural. And there was a crown nestled in her hair. It was white silver and intricate, 'and very beautiful' she thought.

At the moment she was walking behind her mother, who was wearing her own gorgeous gown. Her crown sat atop her head, much larger and much more beautiful than hers. Emma thought that her mother was so lovely, she truly did look the way Snow White had always been described in all the versions of the fairytale. She still couldn't believe that this was her mother, that she was related to such a person.

They were walking towards the ballroom, where the masses were supposed to be held. Emma felt a little nervous, wondering if the meeting with all her friends from the previous world would transition smoothly into this one. She wondered what they'd look like, if they were the same people.

She was scared.

The huge doors loomed ahead, and Emma tried to gather her wits. She needed to act the part, she needed to be a princess. If not a girly one, then a noble one. Snow stopped before the doors and Emma walked to her side. Both seemed to square their shoulders as one, and shared a look. At that moment Emma understood that her mother wasn't the perfect royal she portrayed. She wasn't as confident about these things as Emma thought. They were both nervous. And because of this, Emma was thankful. She could connect with her mother even more, and that made all the difference. Her mother grasped her hand and Emma drew strength from it.

Snow gave her an encouraging smile, and Emma took it and tried to replicate it. She didn't know how well she fared.

They turned back to the doors when they began to open. Emma took one last gulp of air, closing her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, she was greeted with a crowd of people. Some familiar, some not. She could see her father standing at the throne near the front. He was waiting for them.

' _Well_ ,' she thought, ' _I've gotten this far. There's no turning back now._ '

And locking arms with Snow White, Emma Swan walked into the ballroom, and into the next chapter of her story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a cliff hanger. I'm just cutting it off here because the next part will be even longer (I think) so I wanted to get this part out now. Hope you guys like it. I always wanted that reunion between Emma and her parents, and I wanted it to be a happy one. She deserves it. And since they haven't done it in the show, I did it here, and my way. Despite the majority, I like David/Charming, and I wanted to not only have Emma's relationship with her mother, but also to have Emma's relationship with her father flesh out. I think she'd be a real daddy's girl :) So there'll be more of that later.
> 
> On a sort of off topic - I saw SWATH (twice so far, actually) and it was amazing! I love Eric/Snow, and surprisingly Kristen Stewart did an amazing job with her role. I wonder if anyone else thought the same? :)
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter, sorry it was so short. Please review and let me know what you think :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing after 'Skin Deep', this follows Emma as she tries to figure out who Mr. Gold really is, and what sort of secrets Storybrooke is really hiding. Gold/Emma, mentions Rumple/Belle, Prince/Snow, Jefferson/Belle, August/Red, Henry/Grace, etc

Chapter 10:

Everyone was cheering for her, clapping and applauding. Emma felt weird getting all this praise. She wasn't used to it. So she just stood there awkwardly, smiling and nodding at everyone. She prayed that they would finish soon.

Her father had given a speech, as did her mother. About how the dark times have lifted and how life can begin again - all thanks to Emma.

Emma would look down, pretending to be bashful when in fact she was cringing. It wasn't thanks to her. It was all Henry's doing. And he wasn't here to gain the praise. Emma's mouth twisted in despair, missing her son with an intensity that scared her. Where was he? Where was her boy?

Finally all the big talks were over and the party finally kicked off, everyone beginning to dance and eat. Emma tried to stand off to the side, tried not to get in the way, but her mother grabbed her arm and dragged her over to the front of the thrones. There a line of people she recognized were standing, waiting to greet her.

She actually allowed a smile to grace her face at the sight of her friends. Ruby, or rather Red Riding Hood, and Granny came up to her and gave her hugs. Hansel and Gretel were there, otherwise known as Nicholas and Eva in the other world, with their father. Ashley, Cinderella and her husband Thomas visited with her, their daughter nestled sweetly in her mother's arms. Emma pushed down the pang that shot in her chest at the thought of Cinderella getting to keep her child and she didn't. Now wasn't the time.

Archie, Jiminy Cricket, scared the crap out of her when he flew down near her face. She almost smacked him clear out of the air before his little squeaks of protest and her name reached her ears. She stared wide-eyed at him in her outstretched hands, trying to wrap her head around the fact that he used to be taller than her. The grasshopper seemed to smile at her reaction.

August-Pinocchio and his dad Gepetto made appearances as well. August was still a puppet, but he could walk around and act like any other person. Him and his dad seemed happy and Emma was glad. Back in Storybrooke, Emma had come to see August as an older brother, someone she could rely on. Despite what he told her about his part in her coming through the wardrobe, she didn't put blame on him nor Gepetto. Now that they were through and back, it didn't seem relevant. It was in the past.

But she couldn't call him Pinocchio. He was the only person she couldn't start calling by their real name. He would always be 'August' to her. He didn't seem to mind it. He gave her a hug. It was awkward with his limbs, but it was a nice gesture all the same.

Belle and her father were there. Maurice (Moe) seemed to be the only one that wanted to greet Emma. Belle only came over for her father and diplomacy reasons, looking like she'd rather be anywhere than near Emma. Emma knew that feeling, and understood the uncomfortable tension. As soon as King Maurice had said his hello, Belle dragged her father off to converse with Cinderella and Thomas.

The Blue Fairy, who had been Mother Superior in Storybrooke (making Emma wonder about Gold's hate of the nuns) came over to say hello as well. All the fairies had nothing by good things to say to the Charmings and when they were done they floated away on their tiny little wings.

When the seven dwarves showed up, Emma felt the experience was complete for the little girl inside of her. Grumpy/Leroy was the same as before and all the others were just the nicest people. Snow had ran over to them, forgetting her station for a moment, and hugged all of them. She had missed her friends. Snow then lead them over and introduced Emma to them. They stayed by the Royal family for the rest of the evening, bringing a smile to Emma's face whenever she felt the dark thoughts rise up.

Jefferson, the Mad Hatter showed up too, his daughter Grace by his side. Emma, still a little weary of her kidnapper, greeted him with a smile. They managed to let bygones be bygones by the end of the conversation. Emma was happy for him though, that he was able to finally be reunited with his daughter after all this time.

She saw him later talking with Belle. Both were smiling and chatting like they were old friends. The brunette would lean down and talk with Grace too, making sure to add her in the conversation. Emma wondered at this relationship, wondering where it could've come from when she remembered what 'Beth' had said in the hospital when she was recalling her tale: ' _A few times another man stopped by and chatted, but it was rare. I never caught his name._ ' Maybe Jefferson had been that man?

Emma shook her head, pushing them to the back of her mind. She was still waiting out one person.

He still hadn't shown.

She wondered where he was, but was too afraid to bring up his name. She knew his reputation, knew it was just like the one in Storybrooke but worse. No one would take kindly to her bringing him up, she knew it.

But that didn't change the fact that she really wanted to see him and that she was worried about him.

But she kept up the act, she kept her smile on and she greeted everyone and danced whenever someone asked. Everything was actually going smoothly. Emma would've actually been having a great time if not for the little thoughts niggling in the back of her head.

It wasn't until it was almost over that it happened.

The doors swung open, startling all the residents of the hall. The fighters of the group went on edge, all readying for a battle. Everyone turned to see what was at the doors. Emma and the rest of the royal family were way in the back, where the thrones were and couldn't see anything. The crowd gasped at who was there, and Emma could see the people make way for whoever it was. They parted the walkway and Emma strained to catch a glimpse of the stranger in the masses.

"Who is there?" James demanded, stepping down from the landing. His hand rested on his sword as he waited for a reply.

A giggle was what he received.

"Now, is that any way to treat a guest?" the voice was high pitched, almost like a child's, but it sounded familiar. The parting was almost to them, whoever it was taking their time. Finally the crowd in front of them parted and Emma set her eyes on Rumplestiltskin for the first time.

' _So much leather_ ' was her first thought.

Indeed the man, or whatever he was, wore an entire ensemble of leather. His hair was wild and curly, and his skin was a goldish hue. He swaggered past the people, coming to a stop a couple of feet from the royal family.

But she would recognize him anywhere.

"Gold," she breathed, taking a small step towards him. He was here. He came. Snow grasped her arm, holding her back before she could go any further.

He looked over at her, his eyes twinkling and lighting up at the sight of her. Like it always did in the other world. Emma felt her mouth twitch into a small smile.

His lips morphed into a sly grin, and he dipped into a low bow. "Your Majesties," he purred. And slowly he rose back up, lithe and graceful. It was different seeing him like this. He wasn't able to do this in the other world because of his limp, but here magic prevailed and helped him. It gave him even more confidence, if that was possible, and unlimited energy.

"What are you doing here? You were locked away in that cave! Your magic was taken!" James exclaimed. His voice seemed angry at Rumplestiltskin, but his hand belied it by slowly leaving his sword.

Rumplestiltskin tilted his head, a giggle escaping through his teeth. "Well," he began, his gesturing over exaggerated, "Despite your honorable intentions and measures, it wasn't enough to hold me, dearie." He spread his arms out, "As you can see, here I am." His grin was a mile wide, another giggle erupting.

James' shoulders tensed, and from the corner of her eye she could see Cinderella holding her child close to her, Thomas coming to stand in front of her. And then it seemed to click for Emma. That's what was happening with Ashley's baby. Cinderella had promised it to Rumplestiltskin in a deal and then…it got too much so they locked him in that cage. Emma's eyes widened with realization.

Rumplestiltskin caught her reaction and sent her a smirk. Emma clenched her jaw and slipped out of Snow's hand, stepping forward a few inches. "Where have you been then? Where were you? Why show up now?"

He tsked at her, his long finger wagging at her, "Now, Princess. So many questions for little ole' me." He placed a hand over his heart, acting wounded.

Emma bared her teeth, frustrated with his sidestepping, "Tell me now, Gold- or Rumplestiltskin, or whoever you are!"

His smirk came back, he lowered his head, clicking his tongue, "Such hostility. And after all the trouble I went through to bring you a gift."

She narrowed her eyes, "What gift?"

The smirk changed into a smile, and Emma was surprised at how genuine it looked. Rumplestiltskin's arms lifted again, "This gift" and with a flourish he moved to the side, revealing a smaller figure behind him that no one had noticed.

Emma felt her breath catch in her lungs.

It was Henry.

Her legs were moving before she could comprehend it, and suddenly she was on her knees clutching her son to her as if he would leave again. She could feel tears streaming down her face. She wondered if this elated feeling, this happiness and joy is what her parents felt when they saw her. She buried her hand in Henry's hair, cradling him to her, "Henry, you're okay! You're alive!" His tiny arms encircled her, holding her close as well. "Emma, didn't you notice anything different…?My, my skin?"

Reluctantly she pulled back to stare at his face, her hands running across his cheeks, combing through his hair. He did look different. His skin was like Rumplestiltskin's: gold and almost scale-like. Everything else was similar to how it was in Storybrooke. He was still her son.

But his eyes told her that he was afraid. He thought she'd turn him away for his skin, that she'd be repulsed by it.

Emma laughed softly, "Kid, do you think I'd push you away because you look different?"

Henry, usually such a strong kid, timidly nodded. His eyes big and huge and vulnerable. Emma ran her fingers over his forehead and then through his bangs.

"You are still _my son_. I would never push you away. I love you. And I am just so, _so_ happy that you're alive." She laid her hand on his cheek, a grin spreading on her face, "You could have horns sprouting from your nose and I'd still love you." Henry smiled and Emma rested her forehead against his, "You're not getting rid of me that easily kid. I'm never letting you go ever again."

Henry positively beamed at her, his skin sparkling, he hugged her again, "I love you, mom," he mumbled into her hair. She held him closer.

Rumplestiltskin had been standing next to them the whole time, and she could feel his eyes watching her. She glanced up at him finally, after pulling away from Henry, her hands staying on his shoulders.

While she was okay with Henry's new appearance, it didn't mean she didn't know what that meant.

"You're his father, aren't you?"

Rumplestiltskin's face looked serious for a moment, and he looked at her with the same big eyes that Henry subjected her to a few minutes ago. Emma was brought back to when he was in jail and his eyes had changed for those few seconds. This was him. This is who he really was.

"Yes, princess."

Emma set her jaw, gazing at him for a little bit and then turning to Henry, running her hand once more through his hair. A smile stole across her face.

A laugh escaped her, "I should've known. You have his eyes." Her thumb stroked his cheek right underneath his brown eye.

Looking back over at the deal-making imp, she was surprised to be greeted with a confused look. He looked at her like it was his first time seeing her.

"Y-you're not mad?" he held his hands out, his long spindly fingers twitching.

Emma gave him a soft smile. "No. Why should I be? You gave me one of the greatest gifts." Her hand gravitated to Henry's hair again.

Rumplestiltskin stared at her, wide-eyed and shocked. And then he seemed to melt and soften at once. A smile graced his face and it fascinated Emma to see such a thing on him.

And then it vanished and was replaced by a sly grin again, "Anytime, princess." And Emma rolled her eyes.

"Thanks," she said sarcastically, standing up again while taking her son's hand.

Rumplestiltskin lifted his shoulders, his grin turning smarmy now, "Your welcome."

She shot him a look and as a group they all walked to the thrones. "Only together a few minutes and my parents are already fighting. This is a great start," Henry smiled up at both of them. Emma and Rumplestiltskin looked down at him and then at each other. Emma shook her head and smiled.

"Rumplestiltskin!"

They all jumped and turned towards the voice. The crowd opened up to reveal Belle, breathless, staring at Rumplestiltskin with wide eyes. A grin broke out across her face and she rushed over to him.

"Belle?" Rumplestiltskin looked at her awkwardly, still not used to the girl being alive. When she was near him they did a weird little dance, as if both were unsure of how to proceed. Finally he put his hand out for a handshake. She looked at it and then at him before bypassing the hand and hugging him. He held his arms out to the side, as if unsure with what to do with them, before lightly placing them on her shoulders.

Emma and Henry stood there uncomfortably throughout the reunion. Emma glanced up at her parents, who were still gawking at them. They still looked shocked from the whole 'Rumplestiltskin-is-actually-the-father-of-their-grandson' part.

The two pulled apart and began to gaze into each other's eyes. Emma grimaced at the 'touching' moment, hating how much this was getting to her and how quickly he had moved on.

She thanked her father mentally when he announced to the crowd that everything is fine and to keep dancing and eating. Movement started up again and everyone's attention was off of them.

She glanced down to Henry and gestured with her head to the thrones. "Let's go introduce you to your grandparents."

He answered her with a shining smile.

And so they walked off, leaving the 'tragic lovers' to their devices. And Emma tried to purge them from her mind, trying to only focus on the fact that he was back, and so was Henry.

Everything was perfect…it really was…it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still not the end guys, we're not even close :) Hope you liked this. Please review and tell me what you think :)


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing after 'Skin Deep', this follows Emma as she tries to figure out who Mr. Gold really is, and what sort of secrets Storybrooke is really hiding. Gold/Emma, mentions Rumple/Belle, Prince/Snow, Jefferson/Belle, August/Red, Henry/Grace, etc

Chapter 11:

After that, Emma spent the next few weeks learning the castle etiquette. Of course it didn't go smoothly at first, Emma not being that type and all. But she got the basics down to where she didn't make a fool of herself in high society social situations.

However, while she was learning all these manners and such, she was also learning how to fight with her dad. It wasn't much, since nothing terrible was upon them yet, so it went slowly. She learned how to hold a sword properly and defense tactics.

But the best part, she thought, was that she got to finally spend time with her family. Every single day she finally got her chance, to talk with them, to feel loved. To just be around them was amazing. For once in her life she felt content, with her mother and father and son.

The only downside to those weeks, however, was that Rumplestiltskin barely stopped by. After Belle had revealed herself again, the two had gone back to his castle.

'To probably live happily ever after,' she thought bitterly.

He would show up sometimes to help her practice magic, something Henry loved, but her parents initially disapproved. She would always feel nervous, which she hated with a passion. She couldn't seem to control her emotions anymore. Not around him, and certainly not for him.

She hated to admit it, but she couldn't deny it any longer. She…cared for him.

Emma huffed and blew a blonde strand out of her face. That's as close as she'll get. She just can't think about it anymore. It's not like anything can come from it, or happen anyway. He has Belle. His 'True Love'. He never wanted anyone else. He never needed anyone else.

Emma clenched her fist and her jaw. She needed to stop thinking about it. It wasn't her business, it wasn't her problem.

But it sure felt like it.

She tried to relax her muscles, unclenching. At the moment she was walking down the hallways of the castle. She finally had a bit of time to herself, something that had been in short supply since the curse had been broken. The only downside was that her mother was forcing her to wear a dress and heels.

"' _To get used to it_ ' she says," Emma grumbled. She hated heels. They were horrible contraptions that should've stayed in Storybrooke. It was a nightmare walking in them, but Emma gave her mother her word…and she always kept her word.

Emma cursed under her breath. Suddenly something caught her attention, a noise coming right at her. Before she could do anything about it, however, whatever it was ran right into her, emitting a cry of surprise as it hit her.

Thankfully she was able to catch it before they both fell over. Looking down she was shocked to find Henry.

"Kid? What are you doing?"

He looked up at his mom, breathing heavily for a moment and trying to catch his breath. Then a huge smile lit up his face.

"Sliding down the hallways," he said, grinning mischievously. He lifted a foot up, and Emma noticed that he was only wearing socks. She smirked, "Oh, really? And does your grandma know you're doing this instead of studying for your test tomorrow?" She lifted an eyebrow, and his face dropped.

" _Mo-ooom_ ," he whined, "You wouldn't." he looked up at her with pleading eyes, a bottom lip quivering in a pout. Emma held out for a few minutes, letting him sweat it out. She could see a little fear start to cloud his eyes, knowing that he was thinking of his grandmother's wrath if she found out. Her mother could be scary when she wanted to.

Finally Emma cracked a smile, "Naw, kid. I wouldn't do that to you."

Henry let out a sigh of relief. Emma slipped off her heels and started to lean down to get them, an idea forming in her head. "If…" she trailed off. His little head shot up, his eyes widening again. She stood up, shoes in one hand and the other bunching up her dress to lift off the floor. He looked at her questioningly, a light starting to shine in his eyes. She smirked at him.

"If you beat me to the study," she grinned. His eyes lit up in happy surprise, but Emma didn't give him a chance. She took off running down the halls, the rest of her dress flying around her. She could hear his little feet rapidly following her, and knew he'd probably reach her soon.

She turned corners and dodged servants in the halls. She heard several calling her name, but her and Henry's laughter covered it. She was spinning around a maid when she realized that Henry had finally caught up to her. They grinned at each other, the sight of the study up ahead. Both pushed ahead, and Emma could feel her feet start to lose traction. She wondered for a brief second if she'd be able to stop, but the study was right there and Henry neatly stopped in the doorway while one of her feet caught on the end of her dress, causing her to lose her balance.

Her world tilted and she slid into the room, unable to get friction to stop because of her dress underneath her. Finally she hit something and came to a stop, her dress a poofy mess all around her.

"Mom! You okay?" She heard Henry running over to her horizontal figure. She pushed the dress down and looked up from her position at him. While he was a tad worried, he still had laughter lining his features. She couldn't help the bubble of laughter that escaped her mouth and suddenly they were both rolling on the floor, unable to stop.

After what seemed liked ten minutes did they finally begin to calm down. Emma gazed over at him where he was laying on his side, his head near her feet. She felt such warmth and love fill her at the sight of him. She let out a long sigh, the smile still gracing her face.

"So you know this means I won, right?" Henry grinned at her cheekily. Emma shook her head, amused, and lightly shoved his feet.

"I let you win, kid," she smirked. Before he could retort though, a maid came rushing in. Emma rose to quickly tell her that they were fine, no assistance was needed, but she was cut off before she began.

"My lady, you are needed in the meeting room! Something has happened!" she turned frightened eyes to Henry, "My lord, I was told to take you to your room to continue your studying."

Henry groaned, but all the mirth had left Emma, seriousness taking its place. She got up, helping Henry to his feet as well. "Henry," she started, leaning down to begin to convince him to go without fuss. He stopped her, his eyes still twinkling at her.

"I know, mom, I know." He gave her the most adoring smile before hugging her around her middle. She returned it, squeezing him, before nudging him towards the maid. She walked with them to the door, watching them walk down the hallway, before heading in the other direction, a grim feeling looming over her.

She knew she shouldn't have worn the heels.

* * *

Everyone had gathered when she got there. All the important players needed for heavy decisions were all ready and waiting for the meeting to begin if their loud talking was anything to go by. Emma looked over to where her mother and father were sitting on the other side of the round table. She walked over to a nearby seat, lightly touching her mother's shoulder to notify her of her presence. Snow looked up to greet her with a smile.

Emma pulled out the chair next to her, and setting her heels on the floor, sat down. Looking around, she could see the worry on everyone's faces as they kept talking over each other. Her parents were silent, only sharing a few anxious looks during the chaos, letting them get their frustration out through chatter.

Suddenly, everyone stopped as the Blue Fairy flew to the middle of the table. Jiminy, who had been standing there, hopped out of the way, over to where Gepetto and August were sitting.

"Please, everyone, calm down," her little voice began. Once everyone was seated and as settled as could be, she turned to another fairy, "Please, tell us exactly what you have found, Nova," she instructed.

The pixie flew over, almost nervously, but fear was clear in her eyes. Emma focused on her, leaning closer by putting her elbows on the table. She recognized her from Storybrooke, her name had been Astrid over there, Sister Astrid. However here she seemed to be called Nova. She saw Grumpy tense in his seat out of the corner of her eye at the fairy's entrance.

"I-I…" she started, but her stutter was so bad she had to stop and take a breath. She restarted, "I was flying the fairy dust back towards the castle, but I got turned around up in the clouds, so I went down to see where I was. Turns out I was farther away than I thought, because I found myself over the Evil Queen's castle."

She paused, a hitch in her throat, her eyes widening as she remembered what she saw. The Blue Fairy put a hand on her arm, nodding for her to continue. Nova complied, "I could see dark magic surrounding it, but there was a hole in it, something that wasn't there before. I went down to investigate and I could see." She took a shaky breath, "I could see her. She was gathering her magic, and in her courtyard I could see an army. There were so many-!" Nova broke off, putting her hands to her mouth.

Emma, James, and numerous others went to their feet, chairs scraping back.

Emma couldn't believe her ears. "She's alive? I thought the curse was broken!" she looked accusingly at the Blue Fairy. The fairy didn't like that, sending her a firm look in return, "Just because her curse was broken, does not mean that she ceases to exist. She has just been biding her time, regaining her strength and apparently her army." The superior fairy tensed as she thought of something, "Did you see any of the 'Others'?" she asked Nova.

Emma watched, confused, as Nova nodded her head frantically. Who were the 'Others'?

Well, whoever they were, the fact that they were with Regina and her army put everyone even more on edge. That must not be good. Everyone began talking again, all at once. She turned to her father, seeing the scared glint in his eyes despite his calm demeanor. She looked back at the fairies.

"So," Granny spoke up loudly, garnering the crowd's attention, "What are we going to do about it? What's the next step?"

And then everyone's eyes were on her. Emma flinched, not knowing what to do, wanting to turn to her dad, or just disappear for a moment. These people were relying on her, though. She had to do _something_.

Biting her lip, she glanced at James again. His eyes were steady and he nodded at her. She glanced down at her mother, the same experience playing out.

They would back whatever decision she made. And for that she was grateful. To have someone on her side, to _finally_ have someone backing her up, was the best thing she could ask for. She looked back to her father.

"Will you teach me how to fight?" she asked, her voice surprisingly level despite her nerves, "Not just defense, like we've been doing. I need to know _everything_."

James stared at her, his eyes shining with pride and determination. Then he bowed his head down, smiling softly at her. He was saying he would.

"Why?" Jiminy hopped over. Emma remembered everyone was still staring at her. She looked at Jiminy, before shifting over everyone's face at the table, assessing their emotions and trying to show her own resolve. That she would take up her mantel, and save them. She hoped that it was what they saw.

She swallowed, looking back to Jiminy, "Because we're going to war."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I decided to cut it off here, even though I was going to make it longer. But this seems like a good place to stop. Next will be them preparing for battle, etc. I think the actual battle will happen either after that, or the next one after. :)
> 
> Hope you liked this. I'm trying to add little moments for Emma and her family. She deserves a little fun and bonding :) Which is what the scene with her and Henry was all about. I could just see something like that happening xD 
> 
> Side Note, but kind of relevant to this story. I have a Mad Beauty fic that is in this fic's universe. It's called 'To Breathe Again'. It starts right after Rumple kicks Belle out after the kiss fiasco. Leads on from there. I'm working on the second chapter as I type this, but I'm a little stuck xD I'll update soon, but we'll see :)
> 
> Again, hope you liked it :) Please review, let me know what you think :) I'll try to have the next one up soon!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing after 'Skin Deep', this follows Emma as she tries to figure out who Mr. Gold really is, and what sort of secrets Storybrooke is really hiding. Gold/Emma, mentions Rumple/Belle, Prince/Snow, Jefferson/Belle, August/Red, Henry/Grace, etc

Chapter 12:

After that, it was constant training. She had to get ready for this battle. She didn't know how she would, but she knew she had to. She had to defend these people against Regina, she had to stop her.

Her father was teaching her everything she needed to know about war, about fighting. In the beginning of her lessons she could barely hold her own against her talented father. But by now she was able to go on offense. And like now, she was able to catch him off his guard and swipe his feet out from under him.

"Ha!" she breathed heavily as she held the sword at him. The tip barely grazed the underside of his chin. It had taken some slick strategy, but she had finally won a round. Instead of looking put out though, James just grinned proudly up at her, his chest rising and falling from the fight a few moments earlier.

"I finally beat you." She beamed, tired but feeling so rejuvenated at her victory.

She heard footsteps behind her, and she knew it was her mother, "Alright, alright, you've won. Now will you please take a break…and let your father up, will you? He's not as young as he used to be." Emma could hear the teasing lilt to her mother's voice, but kept her sword where it was, only lowering it slightly."I'd love to, mom, but you know I can't. I have to train."

She heard the sliding of a sword out its sheath, "Alright. How about this, then? If you can beat me…then you can continue. If not…," she trailed off, and Emma felt the air behind her shift, knowing that the sword was pointed at the back of her neck, "Then you take a rest."

Emma stared at her father in front of her, who's grin had grown throughout the entire conversation. She knew he saw the glint that entered her eyes. "Okay," she said, subtly regaining her grip on her weapon. Suddenly she twirled in a complex maneuvering, away from her father, and found herself crossing blades with her mother, the fair Snow White.

She held her sword out, challengingly, "You're on."

Snow White smirked, and the two began to circle one another. Out of the corner of her eye she could see her father get up and out of the way. He didn't leave however, he just sat back and watched the show.

Emma, seeing an opening, dove in-

And then found herself on the floor, weaponless. She looked dumbly up at her mother who stood above her, smugly holding her own sword at Emma. "I win," she smirked. Emma's mouth dropped open.

Snow sheathed her sword and began walking toward her husband, "Now go! Get some rest. You're no use to us in battle if you're dead on your feet." She turned her head and smiled at her daughter, "You deserve some rest, Emma. You need it."

Emma stood up, with help from her father. He leaned in when she was on her feet, "You should've known not to fight her," he grinned, "She's the best fighter in all the land. She beats me every time."

" _I_ beat you," Emma smirked up at him.

He held up his index finger at her, "Once. You beat me once, little girl."

Emma rolled her eyes, "Yes, _papa_ ," she replied mockingly. He smiled at her and ruffled her hair, "Go get some rest. If you're too wound up, though, I've found that a good walk is nice." He rested a hand on her shoulder briefly before heading over to where Snow was waiting.

Emma smiled too, "Thanks." Both her parents turned to return her grin.

When they were gone, Emma let out a breath. What to do, what to do. She _was_ too keyed up to sit down or rest. Maybe she would take her dad's advice and go for a walk. She hadn't gotten a chance to explore the outside grounds, the majority of the beginning of her life here had been mostly indoors.

She thought for a moment, and remembered there was a garden somewhere around here. ' _Why not?_ ' she thought, and with that she began heading that way.

* * *

It took awhile, but she finally found it. She wondered how she could've missed it, it so huge. She began walking along the edge, next to a grass wall that lined the perimeter. She walked along the outside, keeping one eye on the castle wall. Somewhere along here, she knew Henry's room was, where he learned and studied and such. She hoped to catch a glimpse of him, if possible.

She sighed. She hated to admit it, but she _was_ tired. Her bones ached and she felt like she could drop. But she had _so much_ adrenaline running through her veins, _knowing_ that a battle was coming. A battle she needed to be ready for. She knew that she couldn't rest, not with that looming over her.

A rustle of leaves dragged her out of her gloomy thoughts. She jerked her head to the right, where the wall of grass lined the courtyard. Something was messing around in there and she wished she had brought a weapon with her. Instead she squared her shoulders and readied herself for a fight.

"Who's there?" she demanded, her voice strong and hard. She could see where the intruder was parting through the hedges, she kept her eyes on it diligently. A chuckle came out of it, confusing her. It sounded familiar. She walked a bit closer, squinting to see who it was. And suddenly-

Found herself face to face with a Mad Hatter.

Shocked, she moved back a bit to let him drop to the ground next to her. "Hello, your Majesty. How does this fine evening find you?" he smiled at her, and Emma was surprised at how loose and relaxed he was. She supposed that finally getting his daughter back in this world was a great load off. She sort of nodded, turning on her heel to begin walking again, expecting him to follow. "Yea, I'm doing okay, I suppose…given the circumstances."

They walked a few more paces down the path before she asked, "Why are you here anyway, Jefferson? Are you going to fight?" she glanced over at him. His head was down, so she couldn't see his expression. He lifted it for a second and she saw a smile, "Grace made me come over here. She wouldn't let me hide in the woods, she wanted to help."

"Where is she? Is she here too?" Emma looked around the grounds to see if she could see the girl. Jefferson shook his head, "Yes, she's here. She's with Henry. She's been going to the school with him for a while now. We've been here the whole time, you know?" he turned a smirk on her, and Emma looked at him dumbfounded. "You've been here the whole time?"

He nodded, "Yup."

She turned back forward, her eyes widened in shock. "Oh…I didn't know that." Jefferson shrugged, "We've been keeping a low profile, so it's okay." They continued down the walk, letting a semi-comfortable silence follow them. The wariness she used to feel around her former-kidnapper had lessened considerably, especially when she looked at the fact that it was all for his daughter. She knew that if she had been in his situation she would've done anything for Henry, same as him.

She then remembered her thoughts about Belle, and about Jefferson's maybe-involvement with her. Now would be a good time to bring that up…

"So, um," she began, "Are you…were you the guy that visited Belle? Or rather…Beth?" she glanced at him, only to see his face tighten. She wondered if she had hit a nerve and if she had, what it was. "I mean, it's just that she mentioned someone visiting her in her cell, and I saw you two at the ball, and well…you still had your memory back in Storybrooke, so...I was just wondering…" she trailed off awkwardly at the end of her rambling.

He let out a sigh, "Yes, I was." He paused and Emma nodded her head for him to continue. He couldn't just leave it at that. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and seeing her expression he let out another sigh. "I-…I _knew_ her," he admitted.

Despite the fact that she was expecting it, it still shocked her a bit. "You mean before-?"

He nodded, "Yes, before the curse."

Emma stared ahead, "But…how? When?" she turned back to him, "What?"

He smirked, "Where, and why?" she scowled at him and he became serious again. "It was after the imp kicked her out. I found her…she was walking in the woods, and I…" he exhaled, "I decided to let her stay with me. At least until she got back on her feet."

Emma was still curious though, "Did anything else happen?"

Jefferson seemed to grow frustrated though, "Why does this matter to you? Why do you care?" he looked at her with such sad eyes, Emma could see the pain there. The pain that she knew was reflected in her own eyes when she talked about the previously mentioned imp.

And suddenly she knew.

"You're in love with her."

The pain bloomed even more if possible. Jefferson looked stricken at her deduction. He turned away from her and continued walking down the path. They stayed in silence, but Emma knew what he wouldn't tell.

He didn't deny it.

"You know…" she began, and she saw him tilt his head to her, the only indication that he was listening to her, "This is the only place where The Mad Hatter is in love with Belle, Little Red Riding Hood is the Big Bad Wolf, and Jiminy Cricket is taller than me. Or, well used to be."

Jefferson chuckled bitterly, "Not to mention the fact that Snow White actually fights for her Prince and goes looking for him, the Evil Queen's mother is the Red Queen of Hearts, and the _Princess_ of this story is in love with Rumplestiltskin." He turned a pointed look on her, and Emma felt ice grip her bones. Her feet stopped moving, planting themselves in the ground and he paused with her, his eyes never leaving her own.

What?

"N-no, I-" she began, her voice strangling in her throat. But he wouldn't let her, his expression cutting her off. She shook her head weakly, " _I don't_ …" Jefferson's eyes softened and he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay," he suddenly grinned, "We all do stupid things," he jested. Emma felt a chuckle bubble up, unbidden. It sounded tearful and Emma realized how close she was to crying. She _had_ done a stupid thing. A very stupid thing.

"I guess we're both idiots, huh?" she smirked at him. He let out a laugh, "Yes, I suppose we are." He pressed his hand against her back to start moving again. They walked in a companionable silence, Emma feeling like she had a friend in her former-kidnapper, now that she knew they shared something in common.

Unrequited love.

It was even more ironic that the ones they had affection for were in a relationship of their own. Emma felt another chuckle bubble up, but this time she kept it back and just smiled.

Finally he spoke up again, "Would you…like to hear my story? _Our_ …story?" Emma turned to him, he looked a bit vulnerable, but she guessed that she did as well. She gently smiled at him and nodded. "Okay."

And so he told her about how they had met on his Grace's birthday. And how Belle came to live with him and his daughter, slowly becoming a part of the small family despite not meaning to. He told her about how she had stayed with them for almost a year and that during that time Jefferson felt his fondness for the brunette grow, as did his daughter's. He told her how he had begun bringing her flowers from a nearby garden, and then she would bring him some. How she would read to him and Grace on picnics, and then later that night after Grace had gone to bed, would continue reading to him. His head in her lap, her fingers combing through his hair (something he admitted he'd never thought he'd enjoy, but turned out that it soothed him like nothing else). And how they would hold tea parties, just the three of them, having a grand ole time. He told her how he had slowly figured out how much he loved the brunette, and that he was going to tell her on his birthday.

"She told me that morning that she was going out to get my present from the market that wasn't far from the house. And I tried wheedling it out of her, what she was getting me, but she wouldn't budge, the stubborn little thing," he smiled affectionately. "And then she left. And she didn't come back. I grew worried when it got later in the evening and I went out to find her. I thought something had befallen her, maybe she was hurt. But before I got far down the path, Regina showed up. She told me that Belle had not gone to the market, but instead back to Rumplestiltskin and her father. That she wanted to be with the people she loved. My heart broke, because at the time I thought we were people that she loved, but I was blinded by Regina's trickery. Wounded, I acted like I did not care, and did not question such thinly veiled lies. I should have known that Belle wouldn't have done that, that she wouldn't have left us without saying goodbye."

He paused, taking a breath. They had been walking for a while, the path seeming unending. Emma listened with rapt attention at his story. She felt sympathetic at Jefferson's plight, knowing how difficult it must have been. She didn't speak though, waiting for him to finish his story.

"It wasn't long after that that I was torn away from my Grace. Regina tricked me yet again and I was left standing with nothing this time. I had done one last job, needing the money for Grace, for a better life. But it was all lies. Regina left me in Wonderland," his voice grew angry, "I stayed there until the curse was activated, making hat after hat until I could make one where I could _get out of there_ , but _it never worked_. When the curse hit, I found myself in a mansion all alone. My memories were intact and I could go anywhere. But my Grace didn't remember me. No one remembered anything. I had that telescope-You remember the telescope," at this he turned a sarcastic look at her, and Emma had the manners to look a little guilty, knowing that he was talking about her mini-lesson in batting. "Anyway, I used the telescope to watch everyone, still unsure of what was happening. Finally _the Queen_ decided to grace me with her presence."

His expression turned dark at the mention of the Evil woman, and Emma could understand the feeling. He continued, "She told me exactly what was happening, and then proceeded to mock me. But she let slip on a few of her aces in the hole. I was able to figure out that she was hiding Belle in a containment cell. After that it was a bit easy, I was able to find out where she was and what cell. You know the one I'm talking about," he looked over at her briefly and she nodded, "I visited her. She was lonely, like me. She didn't remember anything, and if she had, they had probably filled her with enough drugs to make it seem like a hallucination, like she was _crazy_ ," he scoffed angrily.

"So," Emma started, "You kept visiting her, right?" he nodded, "But you never told her who you were? Your name?"

He shook his head, "No. I didn't want to do that to her. It's exactly what I told you about Grace, I didn't want to burden them. But I did want to break her out. I wanted to go in there and rescue her, but I just…couldn't. I would have had to tell her, and at the time I still wasn't sure if she had left us willingly or not. I didn't want to know, honestly. So I just continued to watch her, watch over her. I made sure she was treated right. I gave her someone to talk to."

Emma nodded, this making sense to her. "And then you met at the ball again, right? Did you tell her?"

He smirked, "She knew. As soon as her memory came back, she said that she knew it was me. The minute she saw me and Grace she came up and hugged us. She told us what really happened." He turned and saw Emma's question in her eyes, "Regina had tricked her as well, and had kidnapped her and kept her prisoner, all the way up to the curse." He smiled a little, "She never wanted to leave us."

Emma smiled back at him, but then his face darkened once more, "And then Rumplestiltskin showed up, and it wasn't in me to keep her from him. She was unsure, I could tell. She thinks he's her True Love." He paused, "And who am I to stop True Love?" he whispered morosely.

Emma swallowed, knowing the feeling. They continued in silence.

"You know…I watched you."

Emma startled, "Why would you tell me that?" She turned wide eyes on him. He smirked, "I had been watching you as soon as you came to Storybrooke. And…I had been watching your interactions with _him_." Emma, still in shock, said nothing.

"It makes sense, actually. How you fell for him." He chuckled, "You never really had a chance, did you?"

Emma turned back to the path, and she could see that they were coming up upon the castle. This little walk was coming to an end.

"No," she mumbled, "I suppose I didn't."

* * *

After the walk was over, Emma left Jefferson with Grace and Henry in a classroom of sorts. After kissing Henry good night, because it had turned out to be later than she thought, she walked off to the library. As they were entering the castle, Emma had suddenly remembered that she had a magic lesson tonight. Needless to say, she would've rather cut off her foot than face him tonight.

But, she remembered, she _had_ to train. For her friends, for everyone. And she needed _his_ help if she was going to do it.

She let out a great sigh as she pushed open the giant doors to the library. She walked in, a bit cautiously since she hadn't really been here before. The place really was huge and Emma craned her neck to look up at the ceiling.

It was gorgeous. Emma let a little grin overcome her face, she felt like a little girl who still believed in fairytales. In that moment, she felt like the little girl that she used to be. She breathed deeply, letting herself relax.

"It's beautiful, isn't it, dearie?"

She almost jumped out of her skin. Spinning around she once again found herself face-to-face with a character from a storybook. Only this time it was the one and only Rumplestiltskin, and he was _right_ behind her. He grinned at her, and Emma took a few steps back to put some distance between them. His eyes followed her, and Emma suppressed a shiver, "You're a bit early."

His grin widened, "Oh, I didn't want to miss this, dearie." He began to circle her, but he didn't look at her, "This, princess," she followed him with her eyes, slowly rotating with him, "is going to be our last lesson." He spun on his heel, once again facing her, nose-to-nose. This time she didn't back away.

She narrowed her eyes up at him, "Why?"

He tilted his chin up, "Because the battle begins," he leaned in closer and she felt his breath hit her face, " _tomorrow_ ," he squinted is face dramatically with the word. Emma's eyes widened, "What? Tomorrow?"

He didn't say anything. Emma stared at him, waiting for a reply, but he never moved to make one. "D-do my parents know? We need to prepare everyone!"

He pulled away from her quickly, "Oh, they know, dearie. I've already informed them." He walked farther into the room towards the sofa and chairs around a coffee table. "It's you that still needed informing."

"Me? But, no one told me…"

He twirled in her direction, "That's because they wanted you to relax a little." He put a hand up as though he were sharing a secret, "Between you and me, you really were strung out a bit. Even for you." He winked exaggeratedly at her, and she scowled at him.

"Oh come now, princess. Put a smile on! After all, how many people get to say that they get something for free _from me_?" Emma rolled her eyes, "Oh please. Nothing from you is free. Everything comes with a price!"

Rumplestiltskin looked shocked, before a giant grin split his face. He giggled and hopped up and down, clapping his hands. "Oh, I _knew_ there was something I liked about you. Ever since I learned your name I knew we'd get along." He slinked up near her, " _In more ways than one_ , if you catch my drift," he added behind his fingers again. He giggled again, and Emma felt her face flush. She shoved him away, "Shut up," she mumbled. She knew he was referencing Henry. She didn't know how it made her feel when he mentioned it like that. She stomped over to the sofa, "Let's just get this over with."

He chuckled, "As you wish, your Majesty." And with that he sat down on the chair right next to the couch. Emma tried to subtly scoot her legs away from his, but he had firmly placed his against hers.

She looked up at him and was surprised to see his face very solemn. He looked more like Mr. Gold than Rumplestiltskin in this moment, and so Emma quickly sobered up. If he was going to be serious then so was she.

"You've already learned much, Emma. There really isn't much else for me to teach you verbally."

Emma cocked her head, "What about nonverbally then?"

He smirked, "Patience, young grasshopper." He closed his eyes, and in a split-second decision she stuck her tongue out at him. "I saw that." Emma stared in shock. He had his eyes closed! He did _not_ see that!

"You did not," she shot back. "Oh yes I did, dearie. You forget," he lifted his hands and wiggled his fingers, "I'm _magic_." She rolled her eyes. "And I saw that too," he said, his eyes still closed. Emma huffed and he chuckled.

Lowering his hands, he rested them palm up on his knees. "Give me your hands, love."

Emma did as he told, her heart pounding at the endearment even though she knew he always said stuff like that. And usually he didn't mean them, it was just who he is. She set her hands on top of his, noting the odd texture of his skin and how warm they were.

"Close your eyes, too."

She obeyed again. She felt nervous, not liking her eyesight being taken away. Swallowing, she shifted in her seat, unintentionally bringing herself closer to him. He clenched her hands, making her clench his as well on instinct.

"Stay still," he muttered. She scoffed under her breath, "It'd be a lot easier if you _told_ me what you were doing."

He let out an aggrieved sigh, "You were born with a different type of magic in you, Princess. With the love your parents had for each other, they were able to create the most powerful magic of all: you. You are the result of _True Love_ at its finest." Emma sat dumbfounded, unable to respond. "But this is not normal magic, the kind that I have. This is a difficult, more tricky kind. It has been locked within you for twenty-eight years now. Somewhere deep inside that you have unconsciously protected it." He pulled her hands slightly closer to him, leaning his head towards her, " _I_ am trying to unlock it for you."

Emma exhaled in wonder. True Love? She was the product of True Love?

Thinking more about it, it made sense. After all, the child of Prince Charming and Snow White? It just seemed logical.

"What I need you to do," Rumplestiltskin ripped her from her thoughts, "Is to focus. Look inside you, help me locate the place you have hidden it. I need your help."

Emma took a breath and did as he said, focusing all her energy and mind on locating this magic inside her. And she did, she really did try. But her mind snagged on the feeling of his hands around hers, the sensation of his knee against hers, and the warmth of him beside her. She felt herself falling into that, despite her attempts not to. But once she fell, she couldn't seem to care after that. She let a smile flit over her mouth. This may be the closest she will ever get to him, but she'll take it.

So lost in her thoughts she was, that when he spoke again it was like being jolted by thunder, "Yes, whatever it is you're doing, keep doing it. I can see it, Just keep focusing."

Emma didn't know what to do, and floundered for a moment. But then he gripped her hands tighter and rubbed his thumb across the back and she felt warm again. Her breathing sped up and the room seemed to get hotter and hotter.

And then suddenly…it all _clicked_. Everything snapped into place.

Emma's eyes flew open, and she could see that she was glowing. Literally _glowing_. Light was pouring out of her and Rumplestiltskin was grinning madly in front of her. Emma felt power running through her veins and felt stronger than ever. She felt like she could do anything, that she was ready for anything. She gulped in air, as though she had been drowning, and she blinked multiple times.

"Do you feel it, princess? That is the power of True Love." Rumplestiltskin's fingers intertwined with hers almost unconsciously, and Emma's breath was knocked out of her at the sight of how happy he looked. He was smiling, not grinning or smirking, but _smiling_ from ear to ear. The light calmed down, but she could still feel the power rushing through her.

She felt…happy.

They sat there, her catching her breath, him just staring at her. She felt the tension building out of the blue, and she felt her heart begin to tremble. He was too close, she realized. She tried backing away, but his hands secured her to her seat. He began leaning closer, and she felt a peace roll over her and she let him. His breath touched against her face and she felt her eyes get hooded, unable to tear hers away from his. His darkened as he watched her give in, and he tilted his head, letting his nose brush her cheek. He was almost there, and Emma could feel the anticipation build and the rope that seemed to bind them together get shorter and shorter with every inch he came closer.

And right when he was about to reach her lips the door to the library banged open. Rumplestiltskin ripped himself away from her and she did the same, as well as tear her hands away.

"O-oh, I didn't…," Belle stumbled from where she was standing in the doorway, unsure of how to proceed, "I didn't mean to…interrupt?" it sounded like a question, as she still seemed to confused as to what she interrupted. But Rumplestiltskin stood up, swiftly, "Not to worry, dearie. I was, uh…done here." He turned back to Emma, but she kept her head down, unable to look at him. "I will…see you tomorrow, before the battle, princess." She nodded, not trying to verbally respond, knowing her voice would shake. He didn't say anything else, but stalled near her for a few moments. Then he strode over to where the brunette was still standing, "Until tomorrow, your Majesty." And he was gone, the doors pulled shut.

Curling her hands into fists, she put her arms around herself and one hand against her mouth. The mouth that he almost kissed. But…he didn't. He pulled away as soon as _she_ showed up. Because he didn't love her. He loved the Beauty. Because he was the Beast and it was _their_ story. Not hers. She wasn't a part of it, and she never would be a part of his story.

And then she started to cry. For the first time since she realized her predicament she let herself cry. Giant tears rolled down her face in streams and she pressed a hand over her face. She couldn't believe how stupid she had been. To let him get so close. She began to sob, not caring who heard her. She allowed herself this one breakdown.

She didn't hear the door opening over the sounds of her tears, and was startled when a hand rested itself on her shoulder. "Oh, sweetheart," Snow murmured, and Emma found herself enfolded in warm and loving arms. She cried into her mother's shoulder, unsure of how long she did this. Snow patted her shoulder, comforting her. "It's him, isn't it?"

Emma nodded, sniffling. She let out another sob. "I can't believe I let myself do that, I feel so stupid."

Snow rubbed her daughter's back, "We all do stupid things for love." Emma snorted, that was the same thing Jefferson had said to her earlier. She pulled back and wiped her eyes as best she could, but she could still feel the tears coming. She sniffed again and looked to the ground, unable to look at her mother.

"What am I going to do?" she asked wearily. Snow kept a hand on Emma's back, "I know that right now it's difficult." Emma shot a disbelieving look at her mother, "I do. Do you know how difficult it was for me and your father? We had every obstacle imaginable."

Emma scoffed, "Well, that makes me feel _loads_ better."

Snow ignored her and kept on, " _But_ , we got through it. The road to True Love is not easy. It never has been. We kept fighting for what we wanted. And you know what drove us?" Emma slowly looked up at her mother as she continued. "Hope. Because believing in even _the_ _possibility_ of a happy ending is a _very_ powerful thing."

Emma couldn't help it, she chuckled. Snow looked at her in confusion. "That's actually one of the first things you ever said to me." She glanced over at her mother, "You know, back in Storybrooke?"

A light dawned in her eyes, "Oh, yes, that's right, isn't it?" Snow smiled. They were both silent for a few seconds and then just burst out laughing.

That carried on for however long, Emma couldn't tell. When they finally began to stop, Emma leaned back on the cushions and tried to catch her breath. Snow gently combed her fingers through her daughter's hair.

"Do you really think I'm ready for tomorrow?" She could see her mother turn to her out of her peripheral vision. A few beats of silence, "Yes, I think you are."

Emma turned to her mother, who only greeted her with a loving smile.

"Come on," Snow said, getting up. "We need our rest. Especially you." Emma let out a great sigh, but followed her mother to the door. Before they reached it though Emma paused a bit. "Hey mom?"

"Yes?" she asked, turning to look back at her.

Emma bit her lip, "Thanks."

Snow smiled, "Your welcome." She waved her hand, "Now come on! You got to get to bed, its past your curfew, young lady!" Snow giggled at her little joke.

Emma rolled her eyes, "Yes, _mother_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! That was pretty long! :D Longer than any chapter I've ever written, I think xD Hope you enjoyed this, those that are still reading, sorry for taking so long. I have like a bunch of open projects right now, and I'm trying to keep up with them all xD 
> 
> Btw, fun fact: This is the longest chapter story I have :) Congratulations on this being the only story I've cared enough about to keep going this long xD
> 
> Next up: The Battle! :D
> 
> Please review, and let me know what you think :)


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing after 'Skin Deep', this follows Emma as she tries to figure out who Mr. Gold really is, and what sort of secrets Storybrooke is really hiding. Gold/Emma, mentions Rumple/Belle, Prince/Snow, Jefferson/Belle, August/Red, Henry/Grace, etc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: For her armor, I pictured Snow White's in Snow White and the Huntsman, as portrayed by Kristen Stewart. So if my description sucks and you can't follow, just look up a picture of that to see what I mean. And Emma's hair would be similar to that and when she had it up in the show. The End of the author's note.

Chapter 13:

Emma woke up at dawn from another short restless sleep. She couldn't stop thinking about what was about to transpire. She was going to war. Only just a few months ago she was worrying about how to do her job as Sheriff in the small town of Storybrooke, and now she had to lead her people to war.

Things had really changed.

Emma sat on the edge of her bed, taking deep breaths and trying to steady her nerves. Today was the day, though. To finally put an end to Regina's tyranny and evil schemes. She had to be strong, she had to be ready.

She hung her head for a moment, taking in this one moment of peace, knowing things would never be the same after this. She could feel her power thrumming through her veins, could tell that she was ready physically, but mentally…well she wasn't too sure.

She sighed and lifted herself from the bed. Time to get ready.

* * *

Walking outside where everyone was getting ready, Emma felt a little self-conscious in her armor. It was old-fashioned, with a flat chest cover. There was armor over her shoulders and gauntlets on her forearm. Metal also covered the top of her hands, to protect them. She had chainmail underneath, covering her entire arms and falling to her hips. She had a belt around her waist that was waiting for her sheath and sword. Her pants were tight, but not too tight. They allowed for easier and swifter movement. She had tied her golden hair up in a ponytail, to get the strands out of her face.

She was comfortable in the outfit, that was for sure. It felt like she was meant to wear this armor. It was just that she worried the others might not see a warrior when they looked at her. She wanted them to see someone strong, someone who could lead them. Not just a little girl playing dress up.

She stood up straighter and walked with her head high. People turned to look at her as she passed, but she kept her eyes towards the end of the path, where her mother and father stood with Henry. She swallowed when Henry turned her way, worried that he might not like what he saw in his mother.

But all of that flew away when a giant grin split his face and he ran over excitedly. "Emma! Emma! You look so cool!" he exclaimed when her reached her, his young eyes running over her attire. "You look just like a real knight! Like in the storybook!" Emma chuckled and reached her arm out to ruffle his hair.

"Well I'm glad you like it, kid."

His eyes lit up, "Like it? I love it! My mom is a hero!" Emma ignored the dread that curled in her stomach, pushing back her nerves, "Not yet, kid," she reminded him.

Henry conceded her point, "Yea…but you will." He said this with conviction, "I know you will!"

Emma smirked and said nothing. She steered him back over to where her parents stood in their own gear. Her father was wearing his armor, and Emma thought her father looked so strong standing there. The difference between him and his Storybrooke counterpart was so in contrast at that moment, and Emma felt so proud to call him her father. Her mother, though, was not wearing armor. Emma noticed she was wearing a leather outfit, with gloves and a vest and trousers. She had a green cloak over it and Emma had never seen her look so comfortable.

They both looked so fierce and strong and suddenly Emma felt insecure again. What if she wasn't ready? How could she do this? Why not her parents? They'd probably do a better job than she could.

But they looked on her with such pride and warmth that Emma couldn't wallow in her doubts. She took a deep breath and evened herself out. She couldn't psyche herself out like that. These people needed her. She needed to suck it up.

They all continued to get ready, and Emma sat next to Henry for a while just watching the others. Red was adjusting her red cloak and helping August get his armor on. He needed help because his arms wouldn't cooperate properly with him. Despite his father's, and her own, worries, he insisted that he join the fight.

" _I won't leave this time,_ " he had said.

Red was laughing at him at the moment as the helmet he put on fell over his face. Emma smiled at the two, glad to see people in happy spirits before everything changed. Granny stood next to them, getting her crossbow together, making sure she had enough arrows. Jefferson was sitting at a table over yonder, meticulously working over some tools. What they were, Emma was not sure, but she could tell it was important. Jefferson had on such a look of concentration. She also noticed that his eyes had bags under his eyes. She supposed that she wasn't the only one who had a bad night.

Jiminy Cricket was flitting about, helping everyone he could. Because of his size, he couldn't fight, but he would give everything else he had. The fairies were preparing as well, all of them flying about getting their magic together and helping everyone else.

Emma couldn't find Rumplestiltskin nor Belle. She chewed on her lip, worrying the flesh. She needed to focus, she couldn't worry about them now. Turning to Henry, she forced the tension out of her body. Her boy smiled at her, and she felt the weight get easier.

She sighed, "This is it, kid."

"Are you ready, Emma?"

Emma shook her head, "We'll see, I suppose," she smiled weakly at him. He reached over and grasped her hand, "You will win, Emma. I know you will. Good always triumphs." Emma squeezed his hand back.

"I hope you're right, kid."

He smirked, "Of course I am." Emma rolled her eyes, ' _He gets the cockiness from his father._ ' She paused for a moment, thinking over something.

"Henry," she started. He looked over at her curiously, "I want you to stay here, at the castle. I don't want you to fight." The kid's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to protest. She quickly overrode him, "I can't fight if I think you're in danger." He quieted and she stared into his eyes imploringly, "I need you to be safe," she paused, "Please."

Henry didn't look like he agreed, but he nodded sullenly nonetheless. Emma let out a great sigh, "Thank you, Henry." She reached an arm around him, at first a bit awkwardly, but when her arm rested on him she relaxed, the movement seeming to be natural now. He fit perfectly in her arm, and Emma brought him closer to her, laying her head atop of his. He wrapped his own tiny arms around her and buried his face in her armor.

"Be careful," he whispered.

Emma was silent for a few beats, and then: "I'll try."

That was all she could assure. She didn't know how this would end. But it was ending today one way or the other.

* * *

They were all ready. Ready to fight. She was standing in the crowd, waiting for something she wasn't sure of. It wasn't till something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye that she realized what.

She saw him appear in her peripheral, and he beckoned her over when she looked. She glanced around real quick before walking over to the small semi-secluded spot. She tried not to let her emotions overtake her, remembering everything from the night before in perfect detail. She wished she wasn't so close to him, she wished she didn't want to be close to him. His presence still made her heart warm, still made her skin tingle.

But he didn't love her. And it didn't matter. She had to be a big girl and get over it. He wasn't hers, and she would just have to accept that.

Looking into his mischievous eyes, though, she couldn't hold back a smile. And silently, she bid her sanity a farewell. She wasn't getting over this that easily.

"Hello, dearie," he greeted her, "And how does this fine evening find you?"

She smirked, "Just peachy." She hoped he didn't bring up the previous evening. She could see it in his eyes that he wanted to, but wasn't sure if he should. He stared at her for a few heartbeats, but thankfully he didn't mention it. They stood in silence, and Emma felt her nervousness for what was to come churning in her gut. She wasn't sure she could do this.

He seemed to read it on her face, "What's wrong, love?" he asked gently. Emma was surprised at just how softly his voice went. She didn't answer, looking subtly around at everyone, at how close they were. They could easily overhear their conversation, something she didn't want if they were going to continue.

He understood without her saying it, and he led her over to a secluded spot, Emma's back still to the group.

"What is it?" he repeated, his voice still a low murmur, his accent still quite clear.

Emma drew in a shuddering breath. She couldn't talk for a moment, and her mouth opened and closed with no sound. She hated how tears built in the corners of her eyes and was quick to try to push them back. He kept watching her with eyes that she knew were full of concern.

She tried once more when she felt a semblance of stability, "What if I can't?" her eyes darted to his, "What if I fail-?" her voice, to her horror, cracked near the end.

He didn't answer.

She bit her lip and swallowed, trying again, "What if I fail?" her shoulders halfheartedly shrugged.

He came closer, she let him. He wrapped his hand around hers, and she let him. His thumb soothed her skin. He looked up at her, sincerity shining through.

"You won't."

She shot him a dubious look, narrowing her eyes, "How do you know that?"

He smiled at her, "Because you haven't yet. It's not in you to fail, love."

She stared at him in awe. "H-how do you know that? How can you possibly-?"

His smile twitched into a smirk, "I know a lot, dearie. I'm a very...intuitive man." he moved away and she missed the warmth of his hand when it slipped away.

"You were born to do great things. You may not accept this now, but deep down you know I am right. You were ingrained with the need to protect and save, don't deny it."

She looked down and away, knowing he was probably right.

She sensed him step forward again, and felt fingers lifting her chin, and then once she was looking at him they slid to cradle the side of her face, brushing a strand of hair away.

"I wouldn't lie to you about this." Rumplestiltskin stared deeply into her eyes. He smiled softly, "I have absolute faith in you," he grinned, "And I never back a loser."

That tricked a smile out of her. She ducked her eyes and his hand slid into her hair to the back of her head. She sat still for a moment, feeling herself calm down. She took a deep breath, a smile spreading slowly as peace overcame her. She looked up at him.

She searched his eyes, "Thank you." a smile still gracing her lips.

He smiled back.

* * *

It was when they were walking back that he suddenly gasped and came to a standstill. Emma, who was planning on walking right to her family, turned on her heel to look at him, startled. Everyone else seemed to tune in to what was happening.

He clapped his hands together, "I just remembered!" he pointed his two index fingers at her, palms still joined together, "I have a gift for you, dearie!"

Emma cocked her head. A gift?

"This will help you in the battle to come. It will protect you when you need a shield." He reached behind him and pulled a cape out of thin air. Quite dramatically if she did say so.

She quirked a brow, "A cape? That's supposed to help me? Regina will probably try to strangle me with it."

Rumplestiltskin tsked her, "No, dearie, trust me," he wrapped the cloak around her, and she was surprised at how light it was. And so soft, she grabbed one of the edges and subtly brought it near her face.

James roused from his position behind her, "Hey, wait a minute…that's my cloak! The one you traded from me for Snow's whereabouts." He came up next to her and put a hand on her shoulder, "Is this why you kept it?" he asked Rumplestiltskin, turning to look at the man.

Rumplestiltskin giggled, "Now, dearie," he danced a few steps away, "That's for me to know, and for you to find out."

She could tell that her father wanted to go after him, but she put a hand on his arm. He stopped short and looked down at her. "Is this okay?" she asked him. She didn't want to take his cloak if he wanted it back.

Before Rumplestiltskin could object to her offering it back, James answered with a small smile, "Yes, its fine." He cast a dark glance at Rumplestiltskin, "Just wish the imp would actually tell me things once in a while." Emma smirked at his irate expression. Rumplestiltskin just chuckled, "Trust me, my liege, its better if it's a surprise," he spread his hands out theatrically.

James snorted next to her, and rolling his eyes he began walking away. Emma watched him and everyone else leave to get on their means of transportation (meaning horses for the majority) before turning back to Rumplestiltskin.

He wasn't there.

Emma frowned, her heart sinking. Where did he go? Before she could begin searching for him though, her parents called her name, forcing her to forget about him and get going.

* * *

The location at which the fairies, as well as Rumplestiltskin, saw the battle happening was on a large battlefield. Emma was struck with how much it looked like the fight scene in that Narnia movie. On either side of a large grassy canyon were large rock formations. On one is where her army stood now, looking out across the landscape. It would have been beautiful had it not been a place for bloodshed. Emma shuddered.

The other side of the field was empty at the moment, but Emma could feel them getting closer. The ground trembled at first, and then began to shake. Her and her friends held firm, not moving from formation, but she could feel the air change. A darkness began to creep over them, the bright sunshine beginning to vanish. It seemed as though the world were desaturating, the colors draining from every surface.

But Emma knew they had to stay strong. They couldn't let it overcome them. They had to stay strong, she repeated to herself. They had to stay strong, they had to stay strong, they had to..stay…

She could see them now.

Regina was at the front, her outfit very dark and very fitting. Her lips were pulled back into a smug sneer, as though she felt she had already won. It wasn't her though that put Emma and the rest of the crew on edge.

It was the Others.

Emma could only recognize them because of her readings of stories as a child. Not to mention the fact that her foster homes would play Disney movies all the time. It had been her only salvation, she remembers, watching those movies over and over. She didn't understand then why they meant so much to her, but now she did. Not only was it a connection to her parents, but it turns out that there was truth to all of them.

In front of her, flanking both sides of Regina, stood all the villains of her childhood. Maleficent in her human form stood tall with her horns, Cruella de Vil cackling maniacally in her Dalmatian-fur coat, Jafar with his snake scepter, and Scar was slinking over the side, with Shere Khan and Kaa slithering on the ground. Even the historical Disney villains were there. Shan Yu and Hades were standing with their backups, the Huns and the dogs of the Underworld were seething behind them. Many more stood behind her, ready to tear them apart. The body of water nearby started to bubble and Emma glanced over to suddenly see a ship break the surface. A pirate flag flew overhead and Emma knew it was the _Jolly Roger_. A man with a hook walked to the side of the ship and Emma was sure of it. There was another body of water on the other side of the field, and Emma looked that way only to see what seemed like a giant octopus rear out of the water. White hair stood up and her purple skin shined in the light. Ursula had joined in as well.

Emma felt her whole body break in a cold sweat. This was a nightmare. A complete and total nightmare. Emma could feel the tension begin rolling off the people behind her in waves. They were moving around, getting antsy and discouraged from the numbers the enemy showed up in. Emma knew that she would have to say something, get them to settle. Regina smirked at her from across the field and Emma took in a deep breath, trying to reign in her anger and emotions. She turned around.

And immediately found herself looking at Rumplestiltskin. He gave her an encouraging look, as if he knew that she would need it. She took another breath and turned to look at her friends, her family. The majority had brave faces on, but she could see the fear in their eyes. These were bad people to her, for sure. But these weren't _her_ villains. These were _theirs_. They had to fight them off before, and now every evil thing that kept them from their happiness was back. She was just leading them.

She was just leading them.

With one last look at Rumplestiltskin, she stood up on a boulder next to her, and got everyone's attention. Suddenly, with everyone's eyes on her, she didn't feel so confident anymore. Words seem to escape her. This wasn't like the movies where words just flowed into an inspirational speech. This isn't actually a fairytale, ironically.

She got a hold of herself and took one more deep breath.

"Look," she started, "I'm not very good with these things, so bear with me." She paused and licked her lips, 'Great way to start', she thought. She continued, "I know things look bad. In fact, it really sucks right now."

Everyone looked up at her with wide eyes, people started moving around even more, in a panic. Rumplestiltskin leaned near her and whispered, "Uh, dearie? That might not be the way to go."

Emma glanced at him, but she didn't stop, she kept going. "So, that's why we need to remember what we're fighting for." They all quieted then, waiting for what she would say next. "Our family, our friends." Emma tried to look at them all, tried to give them a brave face. "Because if we don't, we will lose them. Regina," she pointed behind her in the direction of the Evil Queen, "she will take your happiness away, all of your happy endings. And she will laugh and smile and enjoy herself while she does it." She swallowed, taking a breath, "We aren't fighting for ourselves. We're fighting for our loved ones, our home." She felt herself really working up, "And we won't let anyone take that from us. Least of all her." She wondered if she was talking for all of them or just for herself.

She looked out and could see the determination overtake them. She squared her shoulders. "These monsters think that they can destroy us. That they can roll right over us and take the things we love most in this world." Emma searched the faces, seeing the anger and ferocity grow. "Are we going to let them? Are we going to let them take everything we hold dear?"

The crowd rustled, but no one spoke. Emma repeated herself, " _Are we?!_ "

" _NO!_ "

Emma pulled her sword out then, "Then you need to fight! Sacrifice everything for what you love! Don't let any of them through. Be strong! Be brave! Have heart!" Emma took a breath, lowering her voice, "because that's all we'll have left in the end," she glanced at Rumplestiltskin who looked back with admiration. That gave her the push, adrenaline rushing through her veins. She looked at her parents, who had proud looks on their faces.

She could do this. She knew she could.

She lifted her sword, " _Who's with me?!_ " Everyone lifted their weapon, " _Aye!_ " Emma swung her sword around to point at Regina, " _Then let's go!_ " And she turned and began to run, hearing the thunder of a thousand footsteps following her.

Time to meet her destiny. She just hoped she makes it out alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kay, I lied. No battle yet. But this is a lot of stuff anyway xD Please forgive me for the long absence, but it gets difficult to write sometimes. I know this is kind of corny, but think about the show it's based on. And the fact that it's also based on fairytales.
> 
> Hope you liked it regardless :) Please review and let me know. Battle is definitely next.
> 
> (*btw, this isn't really edited, so I'll probably go back and do that later. But I wanted to get this up now xD)


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing after 'Skin Deep', this follows Emma as she tries to figure out who Mr. Gold really is, and what sort of secrets Storybrooke is really hiding. Gold/Emma, mentions Rumple/Belle, Prince/Snow, Jefferson/Belle, August/Red, Henry/Grace, etc

Chapter 14:

It was chaotic.

The fighting started immediately. Everyone giving their all. Emma was swinging and shoving and stabbing in every direction. She somehow got caught in the Huns. Mulan was fighting beside her, trying to hack her way to where Shan Yu was.

She could see bits and pieces of other struggles around her. Ariel was leading the merpeople in the water against the sea witch, while Peter was taking on the Jolly Roger with his Lost Boys. Prince Phillip, Prince Thomas, Prince Eric, and her father were each leading small armies against each of the villains. Her mother was leading one of her own.

Regina stood over all the destruction, laughing and shooting random spells at people when she felt the urge. Emma was seething. She struck down the Hun in front of her.

'But…' Emma thought, 'things seemed to be going their way'. _August dashed in front of her, slashing his sword through a being from the Underworld._ 'They were winning.' _Red ripped multiple people to shreds in her wolf form as she headed towards where Scar and Shere Khan were fighting._ 'They could finish this.' _Jefferson brought down a couple of enemies with his needles, pulling a blade shaped like a key out of his hat._

Emma stood in the throes of violence, panting. It was just utter chaos. But they were slimming down, the enemy was growing smaller and smaller.

Just as she knocked away another Hun, that's when she heard it.

"Go Emma!"

And she froze, ice trickling down her spine. Spinning around, she easily saw him. Henry was standing on the rock formation, Rumplestiltskin next to him. Both looked back at her a bit chagrinned. Emma felt like she was going to explode. She was about to rush over there and give them both an earful, but something behind her seemed to rear up and loom above her. Henry and Rumplestiltskin suddenly looked even more fearful. Emma glanced up.

There, blocking the sun from her face, was a dragon. It was black and had a purple belly. Its eyes held no pupils, they were just a sickly green. Emma recognized her. It was Maleficent. Smoke fumed from her nostrils and she looked ready for a fight. She snapped her jaw once and Emma felt the ground vibrate. She sensed the dragon breathing in and Emma knew what was about to happen. It was going to set her on fire.

Thinking quickly, as she saw the dragon rear back, she grabbed her father's cloak and swung it over her and ducked to the ground just as the dragon let loose. She held her position, feeling the heat through the cape, but never burning. The dragon kept at it for a few more moments, and Emma readied her sword. The fire stopped, and still Emma waited. Then she sensed the dragon right nearby, checking her form to see if she was really dead. That was when Emma struck.

She thrust her sword in its face and the dragon reared back in pain. Emma, still holding on, flew with it. When the dragon had reached full height she found purchase on the top of its head with her feet. The sword was still imbedded in its nostrils. She yanked it out and quickly shoved it down, into its skull.

The dragon seemed to seethe for a moment and then it paused, almost as if in shock. And then Emma felt the dragon begin to tilt. She pushed her weight forward, trying to direct the body that way. It did and when it crashed into the ground she jumped off, landing on her feet a few inches from the fallen dragon. Henry and Rumplestiltskin stood a ways away. Both had awestruck looks on their faces. She turned for a second, looking back at the dragon.

It wasn't there.

Instead, in its place, lay a woman. Her purple dress lay all around her and her scepter on the ground beside her. Her head was down, and her length of blonde curls was a mess. Emma felt a stab of regret at killing her. But quickly shoved it away. Maleficent would have killed _her_ if given the chance. She turned back to her boys.

"Mom-!" Henry started, but Emma interrupted him. "Henry, what the hell are you doing here?! I told you to stay at the castle!" Before he could answer she turned on Rumplestiltskin, "And you! You should've been watching him! Why is he here?!"

Rumplestiltskin put his hands up, whether to surrender or to keep her at bay she didn't know. "Now, look, dearie. You know that once this boy gets something in his head, nothing can stop him." He leaned closer to her, "He is our son after all." He wiggled his eyebrows and Emma wanted to smack him. She glared at him, "It doesn't matter," she turned to Henry, "It's too dangerous here, you need to go Henry!"

Henry protested though, "But Mom! Please! I can't miss the final battle!" He floundered for words, "I promise to stay safe! I'll stay with Rumplestiltskin the whole time! I swear! Just please let me stay!" He gave her a puppy dog pout. Emma stared long and hard at him, not believing that she was actually contemplating this, but this kid was difficult to say 'no' to.

She rolled her eyes at the stupidity of it all and turned to Rumplestiltskin. She poked him in the chest, "You watch him, understand? If I come back and even _one hair_ on his head is hurt or even _touched_ , I will _skin_ you. _Got it_?" Her eyes burned into him, and his did not waver. He nodded, a gleam in his eye. He licked his lips, "As you wish, princess."

Emma stared at him for a few more moments, before looking back down at Henry. "Stay safe," she pointed at him, "Okay?"

Henry nodded, "Yes, I promise! Now go kick some butt!" Emma shook her head, chuckling. She looked over onto the battlefield, where everyone was fighting for their lives. And there, up at the top of the other hill stood Regina. The women locked gazes, the dark one smirking evilly. Emma glared, her features hardening. She looked back to her boys, "This ends now," she said softly, but with conviction. She wasn't just saying that, she was promising that. She studied both of their faces before turning away. As she began walking to join the fray again, she could feel their stares and support. She threw herself into the battle once more.

* * *

It took awhile, but she was suddenly there. Standing opposite of Regina, with a few yards separating them. Emma glared up at her, ready to end this once and for all. Regina just smirked, as though she knew that she would win.

Emma thought this funny, because Regina's army was almost gone. The light side had vanquished the majority of the dark side, and were still rounding up The Others. Emma didn't see why Regina thought she had a chance. But looking closer, she could see the fear in the dark woman's eyes.

She was afraid.

It was Emma's turn to smirk. "Feeling scared?" she taunted. Regina's smirked disappeared, and Emma ducked as a spell came flying at her.

"No," Regina spit out. Emma held her sword next to her, readying for anything. "What's the matter, Regina? Are you starting to see how futile this whole thing is?" She knocked a spell away with her sword, feeling the anger coursing through her veins now. She was so angry at all of this, she was so tired of it all.

Regina looked mad, but Emma didn't care. She remembered what she read about Regina's past, feeling all her anger turn to cruelty. And right now she just wanted to tear Regina apart. Make her suffer like she made everyone else suffer. And she knew just how to do it.

"What would Daniel think of you now?"

And Regina stopped in her tracks, her eyes wide. Emma smirked, "What would he think of you, turning exactly into your mother? Stealing people's hearts, manipulating, controlling, evil?" Regina was shaking, Emma kept going. "What would he think of you becoming this _monster_?!"

Suddenly Regina let out a scream and started pelting her with spells. Emma knocked them to the side easily. " _Silence!_ " Regina shrieked.

"What's the matter, Regina? Hit too close to home?" Emma kept taunting her, shouting at her. Her anger kept the words flowing, and she kept knocking the curses away. Regina, on the other hand, was getting sloppy in her spells. It wasn't difficult to block the them.

This went on for some time. Emma would keep mocking her and Regina would hurl a hex at her. Abruptly Regina stopped, and both women stood panting, trying to get their breath back. Emma felt drained all of sudden. She felt more tired than ever.

"Look," she started, "I hate you. You know that. But this is pointless. All this is, is unneeded bloodshed. We can stop, this can be over."

Regina snarled, "It will _never_ be over. Not until I get my revenge!" Emma rolled her eyes, "What revenge? Against my mother? For what? Being an innocent child? Face it, Regina! Your quest for vengeance was wrong! It was all misguided! Your real beef is with your mother, you're just too much of a coward to admit it!" she was screaming at her by the end of it.

" _NO!_ "

" _YES!_ " Emma spat back, "Admit it, Regina! You were wrong! You were always wrong! And that is why you will lose!"

It was as though she physically struck her, and silence oppressed the small battlefield. Emma paused, catching her breath. Regina was standing there, seething. Emma suddenly realized that she didn't want to kill her, though. She didn't want to keep killing. It was a hate cycle, and Emma wanted no part in it.

"Look," she started once again, "This doesn't have to continue. You may not be able to forgive and forget, but I can at least do the first one. We can stop this."

She waited for a response. Regina didn't answer. Her body began trembling and Emma wondered if she was crying. The laughter that poured out of her quickly squashed that thought. Regina was almost doubling over with how much she was laughing.

She looked up at Emma, a wicked grin on her face, "Oh, Miss Swan. You're new to this, aren't you?" Emma frowned. "This can't be stopped. I _will_ win." Her eyes hardened, "I _will_ get my revenge. And I won't let _anyone_ get in my way. Especially not the _Charmings_!" she spat the name out like a poison. "I _refuse_ to lose, I _refuse_ to give up!" Regina started gathering a dark energy in her palm, " _THIS WILL BE_ MY _HAPPY ENDING!_ "

Emma could see her readying her blow, and she readied her sword. She tried one last time, " _Regina! I don't want to do this! It doesn't have to be this way!_ " A wind had picked up, and her voice was almost drowned out as well as her vision.

Regina let loose the spell and Emma, without thinking, flung her sword through it. She cut through the curse and after a moment Emma realized what had happened.

There, on her knees, was Regina. The sword was plunged into her chest, directly where her heart was. Emma staggered, not believing that she had just done that.

Regina seemed in shock, her hands suspended in the air, as though to pull out the sword. But she didn't. She fell backwards. Emma took a few faltering steps towards her.

Regina stared at the sky. The darkness was slowly receding, and Regina took a deep breath. Her eyes began to go out of focus. Tears began to stream down her face. Only one word seemed to resonate in her mind, in her broken heart.

" _Daniel…!_ "she gasped. _I'm so sorry…_ the world began to fade, but a warmth encompassed her as she joined her love. _I'm sorry I failed you…_

_But I have one last trick up my sleeve._

Emma watched with a heavy heart as the life left the other woman. She didn't like her, don't get her wrong, but she deserved better than what the world gave her. Emma felt sorry for her. Regina's body began to relax as the last of her breaths left her, and Emma began to as well.

It started as a prickling sensation, and Emma just brushed it off as adrenaline. But when Regina's body began to glow a dark color she knew something wasn't right. All the air was suddenly sucked towards Regina and, after a heartbeat, purple darkness burst from her body, hitting Emma so hard it knocked her back a few steps.

And then nothing.

Emma pulled her hands from her face, where she had lifted them to protect herself. She felt funny. Her head was all fuzzy, her senses all whacked out from the blast.

But nothing else had happened. Regina's body still laid there with the sword. She heard noises but couldn't distinguish them. Her mind was going blank.

Who was talking to her?

It was all garbled, and the world began to blur as well. What was happening?

Suddenly her world tilted on itself and she was falling again.

* * *

Henry saw the sword imbed itself into his former mother. He will admit he felt sad. Regina had loved him…in her own way. And he was in shock for a few moments. It was over. He couldn't believe it.

He began heading over to where Emma still stood, his dad, Rumplestiltskin, next to him. Then the big burst of darkness had exploded out of the Evil Queen, and it hit Emma. Everyone froze and tried to avoid the blast. But Emma got hit with it directly, as she was right there.

Then it was over. Nothing had happened. Henry looked up at Rumplestiltskin in confusion, but he was studying at Regina's body with intensity, his eyes narrowed. But Henry didn't stop to contemplate it. He began to jog over to his mother. Emma hadn't moved yet, and Henry wanted to hug her for winning the battle.

"Emma! You did it! You did-!" As he got closer he began getting a weird feeling in his gut. Something was wrong. He kept jogging though, "Emma!"

He couldn't see her face, since her back was to him. He neared her, calling her name once more, hoping she would answer. "Mom…?"

And then she collapsed.

" _Mom!_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So when imagining that last part, I like to picture the screen like the two times the apple dropped somebody. You know, when Snow White was laying on the ground, Regina kinda out of focused, but uphill a bit? And then the same with Henry on the ground, with Emma standing a bit uphill? Yea, picture that :)
> 
> I got this done pretty quickly. I started working on it today. I'm gonna go ahead and post this now, because I gotta get to class, so…enjoy. I'll edit later, but I gotta go!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this :)


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing after 'Skin Deep', this follows Emma as she tries to figure out who Mr. Gold really is, and what sort of secrets Storybrooke is really hiding. Gold/Emma, mentions Rumple/Belle, Prince/Snow, Jefferson/Belle, August/Red, Henry/Grace, etc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll actually be switching point of views for this next part xD I haven't done that (except for that tiny portion of Regina and Henry last chapter), I've been sticking with just Emma's POV, so this will be an experience. Some of this stuff you might not understand. It is stuff I am taking from my storyline in my other story 'To Breathe Again', which is Mad Beauty (shameless plugging). It shouldn't be that difficult (I'm hoping), but…we'll see :) Enjoy! And thanks so much for the reviews! :)

Chapter 15:

It had been three days. Three long days of mourning. Everyone in the kingdom was in a deep sadness. They may have won the War, but they lost something very dear in the process.

Their Princess Emma.

Rumplestiltskin chuckled darkly. That old Regina did have one more trick up her sleeve. She was able to throw a sleeping curse at Emma at the last moment. How she was able, Rumplestiltskin did not know. The darkness that emanated from the dead body was her last weapon, her last defense. And it had worked too well. The Princess had fallen into a deep sleep, one that she could not wake from unless True Love's Kiss freed her.

His mouth twisted. And Regina was clever. She knew that there would be no True Love's Kiss for Emma. Knew that Emma did not have a True Love here in this world. He clenched his jaw. And she knew that if there was one…he wouldn't try it.

She had been one step ahead of him.

He was conflicted. Just like he had always been, he couldn't decide whether or not Love was worth giving up his powers. Just like with Belle, he knew this couldn't end well. And Regina knew all of this.

The witch.

He glanced over to the middle of the room. There, on a comfortable bed, just like the one her mother once laid upon, was Princess Emma. Her eyes closed, her body still. Her blonde hair fanned out around her, golden waves on the white sheets. She was wearing a simple white dress, her feet bare. Clasped between her hands that lay on her stomach, was her sword.

For the first time since he'd seen her again in Storybrooke…she looked peaceful. The hard lines that usually marred her smooth skin were gone, something Henry had almost managed since coming back into her life. He liked to think that her sleep was as serene as the way she looked. That her mind was finally quiet and calm. She had had so many hardships in her life, she deserved a little rest.

He turned away once more, putting his head in his hand. He was so tired. He had been on this world of the living for so long, searching for Bae, looking for a way out. Battling his curse, embracing his curse. Making deals, making enemies, shunning would-be friends. Being alone.

When he had the vision, so very long ago, of the savior he knew it would all change. He would finally get his chance to…to do something. To finally push through that haze that kept him from going forward or backwards. He would finally find a way to find his son. He'd get Bae back.

He knew this savior would change everything. He knew that she'd put an end to Regina's tyranny. And he knew that he had to become allies with her when the time came.

He just didn't know her name.

It wasn't until King James and Queen Snow visited him in his _cage_ that he was able taste the syllables on his tongue for the first time.

_Emma..._

And then images, thousands of images flew threw his mind. This time it showed a blonde female instead of a faceless figure. She would be born right when the curse activates. She would go through the wardrobe. She would live and grow up in another world, and on her 28th birthday she would return.

But she needed a reason to come back. So he would have to give her one.

He had planned it to where he would remember, regardless of Regina's plans. And when the time came, he planned a little vacation over in Tallahassee, just a little time off from his busy schedule. The curse allowed him to leave, knowing that he'd be back- a little loophole he had planted when creating it.

When trying to justify why he was doing this, he kept reminding himself that he couldn't force her to fall in love, couldn't force her to like someone and do…what she needed to do. He needed a failsafe way. And there was only one.

It didn't hurt, he thought, that she was one of the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. It hadn't been as difficult as he thought it would. She had gotten drunk on her 18th birthday, and he was just a nameless stranger to her. As angry as she was with the world, he only fit too perfectly in her plan to stick it to society.

And as soon as it was over, he knew it had worked. He went back to Storybrooke. And while she never remembered him, not even during that night, he never stopped thinking about her. Ten years might seem like a long time to others, but what was that compared to the waiting he's already done? He could wait for her, and he did.

Nine months later, his sources told him that she had had the baby. In jail, no less. She had the baby boy put up for a closed adoption and he was there to pick the babe right up. Regina had been harping at him about wanting something more in her life. He had mentioned adopting. She loved the idea, like he knew she would. And that was that.

The boy looked like Bae.

Every time he laid eyes on the boy, his heart would squeeze itself. He would remember what he lost, and he would feel that hole clawing at his chest. That was when he would shake himself out of his stupor. He reminded himself of what he was doing now, to regain that which he lost.

Silently he had promised to watch over his boy. This boy with his eyes, her spirit, and his cunning. With her Charming genes, his mischievous ways, her wit, and their stubborn ways. He needed to do right by him. That was the least he could do.

But the boy didn't trust him, and he couldn't blame him. But he still kept Regina in line, he still watched over the boy, making sure his childhood wasn't horrible.

He was the one to sell the book to Mary Margaret. He knew that she would give it to Henry, and that the boy would realize.

And then ten years later…she showed up again. And things began to change. Not just for the town, but…for him as well.

Rumplestiltskin shook his head, rubbing his hand down his face tiredly. This…insufferable woman had done more than she was supposed to. She was just supposed to break the curse and get back with the Charmings. He was only supposed to be her benefactor. To maybe help her, and then when the time came they'd be allies, and he would get in good favor with the King and Queen.

When they met again, when he heard her name again, he knew things would not go as smoothly.

They started out as enemies. The first time she dealt with him was during the whole Ashley debacle, which immediately put him in a bad light for her. Then he tried to win back her forgiveness, slowly, and he had made progress. That is until he set the Town Hall on fire. And then old King Maurice stole from him…

She was never supposed to know about Belle. He didn't want to bring that part up about his life, he didn't want her to know. But she did, and stubborn thing that she is, she went out and investigated.

He still couldn't believe that Belle had been alive all these years. He will always be thankful to Emma for helping him get that closure. And one would think that with Belle back, he would finally have love again.

They'd be wrong.

All that time he'd spent with Emma, everything he learned, everything he felt…he had never known something like that. That feeling of right, that everything was okay. It felt so much different than it had with Belle.

Belle…Rumplestiltskin ran a hand through his hair. He had loved her. Maybe not to the extent of 'True Love', but he had loved her dearly. But they hadn't known each other that long when she had kissed him. And she had 'died' so suddenly, that…he never really knew her at all. And all these years he had blamed himself for her death. Wondering if that had been his last chance at love, at redemption.

But when he heard that name again…he knew it hadn't. " _Emma…"_

That woman had gotten under his skin. He couldn't make a single move without wondering what she'd think, how she'd react. He felt himself trying to be better, to make 'good' decisions. He wanted to help her, wanted her to succeed. He wanted her to be happy. Even if it wasn't with him.

And now he didn't know what to do.

There she lay, all her efforts, and those of his, seemed for naught. Regina still managed to best them, she still managed to come out on top even in death.

He had gained this power so he would never feel helpless again. He had wasted everything in his life that was good for this power. And yet…he could do nothing. He had never felt this powerless before, and he hated it.

He let out a long suffering sigh, one that spoke of many years of hardship. He had been sitting here since she had been placed in the room, just contemplating. Henry had been here for awhile, not leaving his mother's side, but they finally managed to get him to eat and sleep. Now he was alone with his thoughts.

He didn't know what to do. It still seemed that the question for him was what choice will he make? Will he choose Emma over Belle? And if so, will he choose Emma over his power?

' _I still need to find Bae…_ ,' he thought desperately.

A noise at the entrance startled him out of his stupor. Looking over, he saw Belle in the doorway. She seemed nervous, and he could understand why. Ever since she came back to him everything became so awkward between them. It was all so stilted, and when they would talk it would be about completely opposite things. She wanted to change him, but he always needed to focus on his plans. There was a rift between them that seemed like it would never be repaired.

It was there in Storybrooke and it stayed there in Fairytaleland. No matter how they tried, it seemed like they would never be. And he would blame himself, because if only he had looked for her. If only he hadn't taken Regina for her word, instead of _knowing_ she was lying. And he would kick himself, and she would tell him not to, and he would yell, and then they would fight.

She was looking at him now, knowing that he was in turmoil, but just not knowing how to fix it. She stayed away from him, near the door, not knowing how to approach him. He hated it. If it had been Emma-

He shut those thoughts up quickly.

Belle tentatively stepped closer. He didn't move, just watched her. When he didn't protest, she walked closer. She sat next to him gently, her face turned away. He realized she was looking at Emma. Neither spoke, both choosing to just wait the other out. Finally Belle took the plunge, gathering up her courage.

"Rumplestiltskin…I know."

He glanced at her, confused. She stared back into his eyes, hers clear and seeming full of knowledge. She smiled at him, "And…I'm okay with it."

He turned from her, his head shaking, "I-I don't," he tried to deny, but she stopped him. She lay a hand on his shoulder, "It's okay." She paused, "I think I've always known. Ever since we reunited at the ball, you've always seemed so…distant." She bit her lip, "And…I don't think I've ever _known_ you, anyways." She looked over at him, "Do you know what I mean?"

He didn't reply. She bit her lip again. "And, if I'm completely honest…it's not one sided. This distance." She kept a steady gaze on his eyes, wanting him to understand. And he thought he did.

"You love him, don't you?" They both know who he means. She hesitantly nods, and he can see that it's not her feelings that she's unsure of, it's how he'll react. But he smiles at her, catching her off guard.

"Who am I to stand in the way of True Love, dearie?" and then she smiled at him, one of the first true smiles he's ever gotten from her. She reached over and hugged him. "I know you're unsure," she whispered to him, "But for once follow your heart, not your mind…you'll know what you need to do."

She pulled away, giving him a meaningful look. She softened it with a smile and squeezed his shoulder, "Good luck." He nodded his thanks, unable to create a verbal response. She stood up, fixing her dress, and then began to walk to the door. His gaze was riveted to the floor, thinking.

"Oh, and Rumplestiltskin?" she paused, turning around. He looked up, expectant. She smiled again at him, this time looking grateful, "Thank you."

He knew what she meant. She was thankful that he was okay with her being in love with someone else. And he was. He knew the Hatter, knew of how he cared for Belle when he had kicked her out. He just wanted her to be happy.

He nodded, smiling as well. "You're welcome."

And then she left, casting one more meaningful look at Emma's unconscious body. He sighed. She always was kind of pushy. He lightly smirked.

It dropped off his face instantly.

He was still unsure of what to do.

Hesitantly, he stood up on unsteady legs. Step after step he took, slowly reaching her form. She was so beautiful. He always marveled at how her beauty so contrasted her coldness. She had shut down her emotions, hardened and built up her walls, because of all the hurt that was dealt to her. He knew she didn't deserve it, and it was why he hated that this had happened to her.

He started to circle the bed, keeping his eyes on her face. She looked so calm, so different than she usually did. He stood on the other side of her now, to her right. She didn't move. Her eyelids flutter minutely, and he wondered if she was aware of her surroundings, but unable to move.

He clenched his jaw. What decision should he make? Blast it all! He rested his hands on the side of the bed, and lowered his head. His power or her? His son…

He looked up slightly. Her face was still slack, so unassuming. He thought of Henry. He'd be without a mother once more. Charming and Snow would lose their child again. The land would lose their savior. And…he would lose her.

"Forgive me, Bae," he whispered. His decision was made. He could only hope his son would understand. He leaned forward, the familiarity of the movement was not lost on him. He had almost done this earlier, it was ironic that their first kiss would be now. One hand kept his weight and the other touched the side of her face, brushing aside some hair. He lowered his head, gazing upon her features. 'To see those eyes open,' he thought, 'would be worth it…'

And he touched his lips to hers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well! :) Hope you guys liked it. Not sure how I feel about it, but…ehh :) Tell me what you think. I was trying to portray how he was conflicted between saving her, who he loved, or keeping his power and finding his son. Now, I love Bae, don't get me wrong, but I think Rumple loved Emma enough to risk it all. He for once did something for the greater good. In fact, he was willing to give up his power, something Bae had wanted. 
> 
> But anyway, do not fret! I have already started the next chapter! :)


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing after 'Skin Deep', this follows Emma as she tries to figure out who Mr. Gold really is, and what sort of secrets Storybrooke is really hiding. Gold/Emma, mentions Rumple/Belle, Prince/Snow, Jefferson/Belle, August/Red, Henry/Grace, etc

Chapter 16:

At first nothing happened. Then a pulse seemed to run through the room, and a searing pain shot through him. He gasped, and wrenched away from her, falling to the ground. His hand clutched to his chest as he tried to ride the pain out. He didn't notice anything else around him as the agony engulfed him…

* * *

Emma was in that darkness again. Just floating in a sea of nothingness. Except this time she could hear everything around her. It was like she was paralyzed. She knew what was happening, but she couldn't say anything, she couldn't move.

She could hear Belle and Rumplestiltskin talking. Not the exact words, but she could just hear their voices. She wondered if she was dead, because if she had to listen to them together then it must be Hell. But then again she had heard Henry earlier, something that _had_ killed her. He was begging her to wake up, and she couldn't. She didn't know how.

She knew that Regina had thrown something at her at the last minute, putting her in this unending sleep. But she had no clue how to wake from it.

Suddenly she felt a presence above her. And she heard words being whispered, but she could not comprehend them. Something caressed the side of her face, and then something touched her lips.

And everything suddenly clicked and righted itself.

Life seemed to shoot through her veins and her body surged up, her eyes wide open. A loud gasp ripped from her lips and she seemed to be able to breathe once more. She sucked air into her lungs as she tried to get her bearings. Her eyes were looking wildly around, catching on the sword in her lap and then on the dress she wore and then to the bed she lay on.

And then she looked to her right and she saw something that made her heart almost stop once more.

She didn't even hesitate, she flopped her still recuperating body over the side of the bed onto the floor and crawled over. Rumplestiltskin was curled up on the ground, breathing erratically and in pain. When she reached him she placed her hands on his shoulders, nudging him to turn over so she could see his face. His body seemed to convulse as he stayed in his position, not moving the way she wanted him to. He curled even tighter into himself, his form trembling and jerking. She tried even more to get him to turn, wrapping her arms around him and trying to look over his shoulder. His head was ducked down, his face against the floor. Lowing keening noises of pain escaped his mouth.

Emma didn't know what to do, she just held onto him as best she could. But before she could truly despair, his body went lax. He lay on the floor, his body still shuddering at intervals but overall he was calmer compared to a few seconds ago. She turned him over, wanting to make sure he was okay, to find out what was wrong. His hair was limp in his face, covering his features from her, but she knew something was off. Her hand reached up to push some strands away gently and gasped when greeted with this sight.

He looked normal.

" _Rumplestiltskin_ …what-?" she breathed. Her palm cupped his face, studying his visage while the other continued stroking his hair out of his face. He looked like he did back in Storybrooke, his skin smooth and without scales. Everything else was the same, but he just…looked like Gold.

His eyes widened, and she saw panic start to rise. But before he could say anything, Henry and everyone else rushed in the door. Emma's eyes connected with her son's and he ran over to her in a flash. "Emma! You're awake!"

His arms encircled her, and she pulled a hand away from Rumplestiltskin to reciprocate. Her confused gaze went to her parents, ready to ask what had happened when Belle came running in. She saw Rumplestiltskin's slumped form and ran over too.

"Rumplestiltskin! What's happened?" She sat on the other side of him, looking him over for injuries, but her gaze kept straying to his face. He couldn't seem to answer her though, the words were stuck in his throat. He was frightened, Emma could see. His eyes held fear in them, fear that his power was gone. Emma wanted to reach for him, to console him. But when her hand began to lift she tucked it in her lap instead.

It was her fault. If she hadn't fallen into that sleep he wouldn't have had to risk his power. And now it's gone because of her. She lowered her eyes, and then turned to Henry. She hugged him to her as tight as she could, burying her face in his dark hair.

A fluttering noise drew all their attention though. "Do not despair, Dark One."

All looked up to see the Blue Fairy floating overhead. She gazed down with a surprisingly compassionate expression at Rumplestiltskin. He stared back, confused and distraught.

Belle spoke up, "What's happened to him?"

The Blue Fairy answered, looking only at Rumplestiltskin, "Because of your selfless act, you have brought back to life the princess. Despite knowing what it could do to you and your powers, you continued without heed." She paused, and a smile crossed her face, "And it is because of that that you may keep your powers."

A silence ripped through the room. Rumplestiltskin finally spoke, "What do you mean?"

"You have proven yourself. You have proven that you are not fully evil, and because of that, we have made it so you can keep your powers. The only change is that now, you look like a normal man. You no longer look like a monster."

' _But he didn't look like one before_ ,' Emma thought. Then she looked down at Henry who still had scaly gold skin. He looked happy for his father, but still she could see the sadness in his eyes. He had probably never let go of the idea that he was monstrous looking. She stroked his hair from his forehead and leaned down and kissed his forehead. In that kiss she tried to convey how much she believed he was not what he thought. That he was beautiful. He rested his body into hers and she hoped he understood. Looking up with her arm still wrapped around him, she saw that she wasn't the only one thinking of Henry.

While Belle was smiling and congratulating him, Rumplestiltskin was gazing over at his son. Emma smiled softly at him, trying to let him know it was alright, that they were okay. An unreadable look fell into his eyes, and Emma wondered what he was thinking. She couldn't keep the connection though, and dropped her eyes to the ground.

Taking a few deep breaths, she pushed herself off the ground, taking Henry with her. Glancing once more down at Rumplestiltskin, who was still trying to get his bearings, staring down at his hands, she began slowly walking over to where her parents were still standing in shock.

"E-Emma…," her mother began, she leaned in further and whispered, "Emma, did he really-?"

She knew what Snow wanted to ask. Did the Dark One really just wake her up with True Love's Kiss?

She couldn't open her mouth to answer though. She was still in shock herself. Did that really happen? So she just jerked her head, hoping that that would be enough.

It seemed to be, because Snow nodded, her expression clearing a little. Charming still looked a little dazed. They all stood there awkwardly for a moment. Emma cleared her throat, "So, uh…what'd I miss?" she shot for humor but she might've missed. Her mother's jaw dropped.

Before anyone could answer her, a fluttering noise drew their attention once again. The Blue Fairy flew over with other fairies flanking her. Emma had just then realized that they were there with their leader.

"We have one more gift to give, Princess," the Blue Fairy smiled softly at her. "You have defeated the Evil Queen, and have broken the curse. You have saved all of us."

Emma went to brush it off, to act like it was no big deal, but the fairy continued on before she could.

"And it is because of that, that we would like to grant you anything you desire, anything you want. All you need to do is ask." Emma felt the weight of what they were offering. Anything she wanted. Anything at all. She could ask for anything.

Her eyes, unbidden, went to Rumplestiltskin, who was still on the floor. Her heart throbbed with pain. She knew what she wanted, but she would not make him want it as well. All she wanted, she realized, was his happiness.

She wanted him to finally be happy.

It was then that she recalled a conversation they had had during a magic lesson. They went onto the topic of children and his past. About when he gave her the walkie-talkies. He was hesitant to talk first, but she didn't push him and slowly by the end of the night he had told her all about Bae. Knowing the same pain of losing a child, she easily sympathized with him and understood his heartache. They actually talked all night after that lesson. She had never felt so close to him.

And she knew what she had to- No, what she _wanted_ to do.

She turned to the Fairy, "I want you to find Baelfire." The Blue Fairy looked like she was about to protest, but Emma cut her off, "I want you to find him and then bring him back to his father. And then," she got up close to the fairy, her eyes intent, "I want you to let them live in peace."

The Blue Fairy studied her expression and Emma didn't move. Then the fairy nodded. "Okay. If that is what you wish, princess, we will grant it."

Emma nodded, "It is."

The fairies left the room, and Emma felt her shoulders droop. She felt better, she really did. But…she realized that now…he had no reason to stay. Once he has Bae, then there's nothing left to keep him here. He'll take his son and his love and book it out of here as soon as possible.

She chanced a look at him. He was staring up at her with a wide-eyed expression. He had heard every word. He seemed shocked that she would do that for him, and she wondered why. Was the trust between them that bad? She sent him a smile, taking a risk that he might actually return it.

It took a moment, but slowly he smiled back. His eyes lit up as what she had just done for him finally took effect in his mind. The lines erased and for the first time she saw him look happy. Really and truly happy.

And it made her happy that it was her that put that smile there.

She turned back to Henry and lightly tugged his hand, "Let's go eat. I'm starving."

He grinned up at her and they began walking to the exit, "I would think so, you slept for three days. We couldn't feed you because we were afraid you'd choke!" He laughed at her expression, and she shook her head in amusement.

She was happy, her life was good now. No more monsters, no more evil queens trying to destroy her and her family. _She was happy_ …but that didn't stop her from feeling just a little bit incomplete.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still not done! About one more chapter….maybe two :) Hope you guys enjoyed this one :)


	17. Chapter 17 - The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing after 'Skin Deep', this follows Emma as she tries to figure out who Mr. Gold really is, and what sort of secrets Storybrooke is really hiding. Gold/Emma, mentions Rumple/Belle, Prince/Snow, Jefferson/Belle, August/Red, Henry/Grace, etc

Chapter 17:

They held a ball in celebration. They weren't going to at first, because of her 'death', but now that Emma had awoken they saw no reason not to.

Emma sighed and ran her fingers through her hair tiredly. She really didn't want to party. That was probably the last thing she wanted to do. After everything that had happened she just wanted to relax with her family and try to forget a certain imp ever existed.

But as her mother pulled her along the corridor to get ready, she knew that wasn't going to happen.

"But mo-ooom! I don't wanna go!" she whined childishly. Snow shook her head in exasperation. "Emma, how many times have I told you?"

Emma rolled her eyes, bracing herself for the same speech. "We need some happiness back in our world. Now that it's finally over, we need to celebrate!" at this Snow looked over her shoulder to smile at Emma, "We're finally together. There's no more danger or evil looming over us anymore."

Snow slowed down, bringing her hands to Emma's shoulders gently. "Everything is finding its balance again. Peace is finding our land once more. The people need to know that an era of happiness is once more upon us." She smiled brightly, "Do you understand why this is so important?"

Emma nodded. She did know this. She knew it was very important, but that didn't change the fact that she just wanted to _not go_.

But she'd do it. To make her family happy.

Snow, seeing her daughter give in, began to drag her once more down the hall. She rushed Emma into the room and the seamstresses immediately got to work. Emma stayed quiet, not even attempting to grumble under her breath. She just wanted all of this done with and over.

She let her mind wander, anywhere but where it wanted to most…what had happened 24 hours earlier.

He had kissed her awake.

That had to mean something…right? Her mother had been awoken by her father with True Love's Kiss. Her father had been awakened as well by her mother from his coma in Storybrooke. Aurora had been awoken by Prince Phillip. There was a pattern and it all had to do with a kiss.

Did he love her?

She had been thinking about it nonstop. There are so many different types of love though. Did he love her romantically, platonically, sexually? Did he truly love her?

Or was he able to because of his own powers?

She hadn't been able to draw up the courage to talk to him about it. When Belle had run into the room to his aid, she had gotten the sense that…it didn't matter if he loved her or not. He still had Belle, and if that's who he chose, then she'd honor that.

She hadn't seen him with Bae yet though. She hoped she would at the ball tonight. If he showed up, that is. Belle would probably make him though, she guessed.

"And…done." The head seamstress's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Emma looked up and her eyes caught on her reflection. She looked…beautiful.

Normally she didn't associate herself with any adjective of the sort, not thinking too much of her image. But…she guessed there really was magic here, because these women seriously worked some.

It was a gown, light purple in color, with a halter neck style and a corset surrounding her abdomen. The skirt brushed the ground lightly and swayed gently. Her hair seemed golden, shining brightly in the glow of the light. Her face looked youthful, all the tired lines that had adorned her features for as long as she could remember were gone.

She looked…really really good.

As she stared in awe at herself, her mother came up from behind her. In her hands she carried a tiara. It was delicate looking and very valuable. Snow gently placed it on Emma's head, adjusting it to where it lay just right. It completed the image: she looked like a princess. Like royalty. For the first time she felt like someone she'd read about in her fairytale books as a child.

Snow rested her chin on one of Emma's shoulders, looking at them both in the mirror. "You look lovely, Emma." A watery grin rose up and Snow quickly reached up to brush the tears away before she ruined the makeup. Emma could feel a lump building up too, but was quick to squash it back down. She turned around and hugged Snow.

"Thank you," she whispered. Her mother wrapped her arms tightly around her. "For what?" Snow asked, and Emma could hear in her voice that she had lost the battle with her emotions. Emma squeezed tighter, "For everything. For believing in me, for being there, just…everything."

Snow didn't answer, just buried her face into Emma's hair. The two stood there for a moment before Snow pulled back, wiping her eyes and tidying herself up. Emma sniffed and blinked her eyes, brushing down her dress and pulling her shoulders back. She caught her mother's eye for a second.

They burst out laughing. "Look at us! We're a mess!" Snow put a hand to her stomach, she was laughing so hard.

When James and Henry walked in and saw them the two still didn't stop. Not until Henry hesitantly asked what was wrong did they start to quiet.

"Oh, it's nothing, kid, don't worry." Emma smiled at her son, "Just letting off some steam."

Henry gave her a weird look, "O… _kay_ …" he trailed off. He perked up then, "You ready to party?" He grinned up at her, excited for the night ahead.

She forced a grin in return, "Yea, of course!" He didn't seem to realize how she really felt and Emma felt relief rush through her when he grabbed her hand and began trotting out the door. Her parents followed, and Emma could hear them snickering at her. She rolled her eyes good-naturedly. She gripped Henry's hand tighter.

The party kicked into high gear pretty quickly. Everyone was in a celebratory mood- drinks were being passed, dances were accepted, and people were talking with everyone. Not one frown could be seen.

Emma was even having a great time. She was smiling and laughing and spending time with her friends. She even danced a few times.

But she couldn't help that niggling feeling in the back of her mind. She wondered if she'd ever be able to attend a ball and be fully happy.

The door opened once more for another guest, and Emma knew she probably wouldn't.

From her spot at the thrones she could see Rumplestiltskin walking with Belle and a boy that looked remarkably like Henry. And once again they walked straight to where she was. She clenched her jaw, she didn't need this now.

Both bowed to the Charming family, who coincidentally were all catching their breath from dancing at the same time. Henry got up and ran to his father, giving him a hug. Rumplestiltskin looked shocked at the contact, but awkwardly placed his hands on the boy's shoulders, patting them. Henry grinned up at him and moved away. He smiled at the other boy, who looked at him curiously. "Hi, I'm Henry," her son greeted, "Are you Baelfire?" He struggled a bit with pronunciation, but he didn't butcher it. The boy nodded, smiling, "Yes. Are you…Henry?" He repeated his half-brother's struggling, the name foreign to him as well.

Henry nodded eagerly, "Yup!" He paused, biting his lip, "If you don't mind me asking…where were you this whole time?" Emma waited with bated breath, interested in the answer.

Bae smiled, "I was in Neverland. I was one of Peter Pan's Lost Boys," he sounded proud of his occupation and Emma felt a childlike giddiness at hearing his explanation. Henry shared her feelings as he seemed to be holding back from bouncing up and down. "That's so cool! I'd love to hear about your adventures!" he hesitated, "If…you don't mind, that is…?" Bae shook his head, smiling, "It's perfectly fine, I'd love to tell you." He gestured with his head, "And, if you'd like to know, Captain Hook, one of Peter's most fearsome adversaries is right over there. I'm surprised he's even here, but he seems to have worked a truce out with Peter." Henry's head whipped over so fast Emma worried he'd get whiplash. She looked in the direction as well, curious to see what this villain looked like here since she didn't see him on the battlefield during the fight.

What she saw was something she didn't expect. He looked completely different. The only similarities were the dark hair and facial hair, and the hook. He was a young man, tall and angular and he was currently chatting up Princess Aurora. Emma blinked at this, not expecting that either. Next to them was Mulan and Phillip and they seemed to be in their own little world. Emma couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Henry seemed to get over it quickly though, his face lit up. "This is so _awesome_!" Bae grinned and agreed. The two walked over to the side and continued their conversation, both happy that they finally had someone their age that they could be friends with and talk to.

And then the adults were left alone. No one talked until Rumplestiltskin perked up with a smirk, "Hello, your Majesties. Such a fine evening, is it not?"

Snow and Charming nodded, both smiling at him. They had both gotten over their unease around the imp, and after much needling from Henry, had grown to accept his presence. And Emma knew he'd die than admit it, but her dad secretly liked hanging out with Rumplestiltskin.

Despite the music still going full blast, an awkward silence filled the small group. Belle, who knew what was causing it, tried alleviating it, "You've thrown a lovely party, thank you so much for inviting us. It's great that we have something to celebrate after such dark times."

Snow pointedly glanced at Emma, her expression clearly saying 'I told you so', before turning back to the beauty, "Thank you, Belle, that's very kind. It's the least we could do for the people, we deserve some fun."

Belle nodded in agreement. She was about to open her mouth again but the opening of the doors drew her attention. Emma tried to see who it was, but the crowd was in her way. Belle, however, could see and immediately turned to Rumplestiltskin. She whispered something in his ear and he nodded, smiling at her. She returned it, and Emma felt her heart squeeze. This sucked.

But then Belle did something Emma didn't expect. She looked back at the Charmings, "Excuse me, your Majesties," and turned on her heel without waiting for a reply and rushed towards the doors. The crowd parted for her and she shouted a name that caught Emma by surprise.

"Jefferson!"

At the other side of the crowd, Jefferson looked up at the sound of his name. Grace stood beside him, a secret knowing smile adorning her delicate features. Jefferson caught sight of Belle and his eyes widened. Belle took off at him, her dress flying around her, but she did not care.

When she reached him, she flung her body at him and he caught her without thinking. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she brought her lips to his passionately. He stood there in shock, but when she moved her mouth against his he was quick to respond then. He gently put her back to the ground and brought a hand up to tangle in her hair and rest a thumb on her cheek. Belle gripped his jacket and hair, trying to pull him closer, not caring about the audience that surrounded them. She pulled slightly away to whisper something to him. Once again, Emma couldn't hear but she assumed it was good when his face lit up in a grin and he picked her up and spun her around. He kissed her again and Belle was laughing happily.

Grace stood beside them, smiling up at them in joy. She briefly glanced towards the thrones and Emma saw Henry stiffen out of the corner of her eye. Grace beamed in this direction and Emma could distinctly see the tips of Henry's ears turn pink. She grinned as Bae elbowed him good-naturedly, teasing him already. Henry said something to him and Bae immediately stopped laughing, a blush covering his cheeks. He glanced in the direction of a young girl Emma had never had the chance to meet. He looked away before the girl saw him.

Watching this display…she hated to admit it even think it, but she felt hope flicker inside her. She didn't want to believe this was her chance, that this meant something. What if it wasn't?

Despite her denial, she still felt her feet moving towards Rumplestiltskin. He was watching the happy couple along with everyone else. Tilting her head to the side she could see that his expression was clear, there was no anger or jealousy written on his face. When he felt her near, he turned to her, and she saw that there was none in his eyes either.

He smiled gently at her and her heart thumped painfully in her rib cage. No, she couldn't believe it, not yet.

She gestured with her chin at the couple that were still embraced but were now chatting with Grace. "Didn't see that one coming. But they look like this was a long time coming." The question was unspoken, but he heard it nonetheless.

He nodded in agreement, "Yes, I suppose it was, princess." She waited for him to elaborate and he could see it in her expression, "He was there for her when I was not. I think she has been in love with him for a long time, she just didn't realize it."

Emma paused, "…What about you?" she hesitantly asked. He shrugged, "What about me?" he turned his head to her, his eyes softening when they caught hers. "I don't think we were ever really in love. We just thought we were." It was his turn to pause, he looked away from her, "Besides, I think it works better this way."

Emma cocked a brow, "Oh really, and how do you figure that?" she crossed her arms and waited expectantly. A grin twitched on his lips. "Oh I think you know the answer to that, love." He turned back to her, his eyes holding an indefinable emotion. Emma's breath caught, but she refused to show any expression. "Do I?"

He smirked and came closer, invading her personal space. She didn't mind it at all, she realized.

"Yes," he whispered, "I think you do." And then he waited for her. His face lost its confidence and Emma realized that he was just as scared and nervous as she was about this. Both had had bad luck in this department in the past, their trust issues were _phenomenal_ , so this was all very new to them. She swallowed thickly.

Leaning forward slowly she locked gazes with him, her answer clear in her eyes. She did know. Right when she was about to reach her target, he lost his patience and finished it halfway for her. His lips crashed into her own, his hands entangling in her golden locks. Her hands snapped up to grasp his biceps through his leather ensemble. She glided them along his arms to the back of his neck, bringing him closer.

She felt so light, so happy. This was…she couldn't describe it. All she knew was that she was _happy_. Uncontrollably, unconditionally, absolutely, and _completely_ happy in this moment with him.

She felt it repeating over and over in her head, finally allowing herself to admit it, to say it to herself:

'I love you, I love you, I'm in love with you, I love you so much, _I love you_.'

When he whispered it back to her, she realized she had started to say it aloud. She felt a flush on her neck and he grinned before nipping at the area. He whispered in her ear, "I didn't see this coming at all, Miss Swan. Did you?"

She shook her head, her arms intertwining behind his back, making him come even closer till he was flush up against her. "No, I didn't."

"Regretting it, Emma?" He pulled back to look at her face. She gazed up at his face. She remembered the beginning. She honestly never expected to fall in love when she came to Storybrooke, much less with someone like Mr. Gold- no, _Rumplestiltskin_. But after all this time with him, the memories with him and how they got here…Emma went through all of it in her mind and her answer was easy.

"No," she answered completely honest, "I'm not." A smile bloomed on his face, all the tired lines leaving in the wake of his happiness. He leaned back down to her and she more than willingly met him halfway, returning his favor.

She finally had everything she had ever wanted. When she was a child she would dream of finding her parents, living in a castle, meeting her true love and settling down with a family that loved her. She found everything she wanted, but nothing in the way she imagined.

But she wouldn't trade her ending for anything. And as she pulled away from him and joined back into the crowd with their family and friends she continued to have a smile on her face. It never budged and she felt a contentment in her that she had never experienced before. She could truly say that life was good. That feeling was present in every aspect of her life now with her friends, family, and their sons.

And in every moment, every second she spent with Rumplestiltskin, that feeling grew. No matter what happened in every laugh, every tear, every fight, every challenge, every kiss- the love stayed. And Emma couldn't have asked for anything better. It wasn't perfect by a storybook's standards, but for her? It was perfect.

And well, needless to say they lived happily ever after.

_The End._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY CRAP YOU GUYS I FINISHED IT. SORRY FOR THE CHEESINESS OF THE LAST BIT, BUT IT WAS NEEDED…CUZ OF REASONS.
> 
> Hope you liked it though :) You readers should feel honored, this is the first multichapter (of quality…or some semblance of it) that I have finished. Congratulations :)
> 
> Most of the reason I think I finished was cuz we need more Golden Swan love. We really do. This season is really blowing holes in this ship, but WE SHOULDN'T GIVE UP HOPE. SHE'LL BE COMING BACK TO STORYBROOKE AND WILL SAVE RUMPLE FROM GETTING GUTTED BY HOOK. I KNOW SHE WILL. 
> 
> But anywhos, I couldn't help adding a little bit of my fav couples near the end there. If you couldn't catch it, they were Jefferson/Belle (that should've been obvious tho), Henry/Grace, Hook/Aurora (I HAVE FALLEN FOR THIS OTP AND I CANNOT GET UP), and Phillip/Mulan and a tiny bit of hinted Bae/Morraine.
> 
> About Bae- my theory (and my hope) is that he's in Neverland as a Lost Boy. Obviously one of those reasons is that I'd rather he NOT be Henry's dad. It's too obvious and honestly I would rather have Gold be it. Much more surprising and fun ;) 
> 
> Hope ya'll have enjoyed this as much as I have :) Thank you so much for all the follows and favorites, it has meant the WORLD to me. And all the reviews? xDDDD THANK YOU SO MUCH!


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